


Drawing you

by Sagiri



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Frigga (Marvel), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Friday and Jarvis just love to sass Tony, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Jötnar | Jotuns | Frost Giants (Norse Religion & Lore), Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Compliant, Not Thor: The Dark World Compliant, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, POV Loki (Marvel), POV Tony Stark, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Sassy Tony Stark, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Sneaky Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Vanaheimr | Vanaheim, gullveig - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:15:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17259902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagiri/pseuds/Sagiri
Summary: Just a Fic about Loki being Loki, Tony being Tony, murder AIs, a curse gone wrong and a sketchbook Loki should never have used in the first place.





	1. Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> I had this Idea of Loki being bored out of his mind while trying to kill the time he has to spend at the Avengers Tower. And I thought, why not let Frigga suggest to him he should draw something (or rather someone) to get himself occupied? 
> 
> Before you start I have to warn you; I messed the Avengers timeline up greatly A lot of things didn't and won't happen in this story. Also, there will be no Thanos, The Chitauri are the bad ones in here. Furthermore English is not my given language and I'm fairly certain that I made a lot of mistakes since I don't have a Beta. Please feel free to inform me about my mistakes and I'll correct them ASAP. :)

It took Loki exactly a week after his trial that he found himself bored out of his mind.  
After it became clear that he didn't really effectively tried to conquer Midgard,  
but rather wanted to lose on purpose, Odin still sentenced him for his schemes against Thor and Asgard,  
resulting for him to be banished to Midgard.  
Odin would make sure to sent him to Midgard with just enough magic to protect himself, and to keep his glamour which would hide his true heritage...  
Loki didn't like getting his powers restricted but he was confident that his powers weren't gone for too long anyways.  
He would get his magic back as soon as he could break whatever spell Odin wanted to cast upon him.  
After that, it would be only a matter of time for him to leave Midgard and his punishment behind. 

But like so many times before, Lokis already well-planned escape from Midgard wouldn't be as easy as he had thought it to be.  
Thanks to the stupid oaf...  
Thor literally begged the Allfather to bind Loki to one of Thor's stupid Avenger friends, instead of leaving him alone  
( and soon to be free as a bird if it went like Loki anticipated) in the oh so terrible wides of Midgard.  
If Loki hadn't been restricted he would have stabbed Thor multiple times for this. If he were to be bound to one of this unworthy mortals,  
things would be a lot harder for him. Especially undoing the Allfathers spell without getting caught in the act.  
The Allfather must have noticed Lokis distress and therefore acknowledged Thor's request all too swiftly for Lokis liking.  
Loki would make sure to step Thor after his escape from Midgard.

 

After the trail, everything was a blur and he felt heavy on his feet.  
He recognized the Bifrost and the Avengers Tower, a loud discussion between Thor and the other Avengers  
and the distinct feeling what a huge part of his very being was missing.  
He recognized that it was his magic. So the Allfather really took it away from him, leaving him with the barest minimum to protect himself.  
The hollow feeling inside of him was unbearable, it almost felt like the Allfather had ripped out his soul and crushed it beneath his feet...  
Staring down at his hands which were trembling slightly, Loki almost winced when a hand landed on his shoulder,  
gripping him tightly and holding him in place.

"My Brother will stay here until he redeems himself worthy of his powers. Until then, one of us will have to look after him.  
The Allfather decided that one of you, dear shield brothers should be tasked with this matter."  
Thor spoke in a voice that clearly said volumes of the choices the Avengers had in this matter. 

Only now Loki realized the eyes which were looking at him with mostly disgust and anger. Except for Thor and... The man of Iron?  
Stark looked almost bored with the whole situation, standing far away from the other Avengers. His calm and calculating eyes seemed to search for something  
in Loki's green ones. Odd, Loki thought. For the mortal to be so calm around him. All the other Avengers were in high distress.  
Furthermore, Stark was the only one who looked the god directly in the eyes. Really odd...

"Fuck you, Thor! Your dad can't decide shit like that and expect us to follow his orders! I'm not going to play babysitter for this motherfucker you call your little brother!  
He killed Coulson, dammit! You can't expect us to watch over him like he's some sort of foreign friend you invited over for the weekend while living in fear he  
because he could get lost when you leave him alone for just a sec! " Barton yelled, his face red with anger and full of hatred.  
Loki mused the Archer didn't take lightly to the mind control and him killing the Agent... Who would have guessed? 

"I know it's hard to believe but, Clint is right... At least this time."  
the Widow sighted as if she couldn't believe what she just said. 

"Nat! Why did you have to say it like that? I'm standing right next to you!"  
Clint yelled again, this time upset about the Widow. 

"Clint shut it." The Widow said with a final voice and then continued,

"Thor, even though you said Loki was basically not in his right mind when he attacked New York,  
doesn't mean it's easier for us to overlook the things that happened. You said he's a victim of the Chitauri as well, that we all get.  
But you have to see it from our perspective as well. He killed Coulson, fucked with Clint's head and almost killed us all with his Chitauri army.  
It's hard to forget those facts even if he hadn't done it willingly. He's still the face we associate with all the madness that happened." 

"But it wasn't his fault!!!" a loud thunder rolled over the Tower.  
Thor didn't seem to like the way the conversation had taken. 

"Still, you can't expect us to follow your dad's orders if we don't want to."

The Captain intervened this time. But unlike the Widow with a finality in his voice that left even Thor for a loss of words.  
Loki couldn't help the small smile that crept over his face. The great God of Thunder was at a loss of words due to the fact that mere mortals denied him a request.  
Even though he thought the mortals all rather tiresome he had to acknowledge their determination.

"Thor look at it logically, please. Both Clint and Natascha would love to revenge Coulson's death, they wouldn't watch over him... They would continuously try to murder your brother.  
I spend all my time at Shield Headquarters and therefore I'm not around often enough to look after him.  
Bruce... I mean come on? He literally went green than you and Loki arrived here and had to leave the room. And even If Bruce would react positively to Loki, none of us lives at the Tower except Tony. No one knows how long Lokis redemption will take, or better if there's a redemption for him at all.  
How could you possibly think that this is going to work out without leading to a catastrophic outcome?"  
Captain America explained calmly but stern. 

"But..." Thor was at a loss of words again. 

Loki thought that logically seen the Avengers were right. He had to admit that, if he were the one in their place he wouldn't want to look after him either.  
That thought somehow stung in his chest and he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.  
He sure as Hel didn't want them to look after him like he was something like a mere pet. Hel, it was what he had wanted from the beginning!  
Being left by himself and all alone would mean his original plan to reverse the spell and leave Midgard was again a possibility for him, but...  
To hear that they all knew it wasn't him, that they knew the Chitauri controlled him as well and gave him no other choice, and yet still despised him... somehow hurt.  
A small voice in his head whispered that he shouldn't care...  
That everyone in Asgard also despited him and that it wouldn't make a difference when the Midgardians would do so, too.  
But he couldn't ignore the fact another part of him did care and actually felt hurt when he heard the harsh words they said about him... And this other part of him bothered him greatly because he thought him long dead. 

 

"Well, guess that leaves only me to look after Reindeer Games then."

Loki startled at the sudden voice and the annoying Nickname. How dare Stark called him that again?!  
This worthless Mort- Wait. What?

"Friend Tony!" Thor boomed his face lightening up again. 

"Tony... If this is some sort of joke I swear-"

"Capsicle we both know that you're incapable of swearing."

"Tony!"

"What? If I'm correct I'm the only one who's left.  
Sure he defenestrated me but, as Thor said, he wasn't in his right mind. So, no hard feelings from me Reindeer Games. Also, you just pointed it out; I'm the only one whos living at the Tower, everyone else declined my offer to live here."

Loki wasn't sure if it was confidence he felt radiating from the Mortal or sheer stupidity.  
Given the fact that the Mortal flew a bomb through a wormhole and had just winked at him, it definitely was the second. 

"Tony..." the Captain tried again.

"Listen. I'm the only one who's around the Tower, sure, you guys visit from time to time or stay overnight, but that is all.  
Hell, since Pepper left me I literally stayed 24/7 at the Tower and we still got Jarvis who can help keep an eye on Rock of Ages don't ya, pal? So I say, why not?"

"I gladly help to assist, Sir."

"Knew I could count on you, buddy."

"Tony... Why would you want to do that? The thing with the nightmares and Pepper is due to the fact that Loki-" 

"Ah, ah stop it right there Cap. We're not going there. End of the story." Stark's voice was shaking and his eyes were distant for a moment, like following a thought he would rather escape from. 

Loki could see how Stark visibly tensed at Captain Americas comment. Odd... Just a few seconds ago Stark was so calm and collected  
it almost seemed like he hadn't any care in the world. Why would he react so different now, and what had Loki to do with it?  
Somehow he was eager to find out. 

 

"Anyways. Back to the matter at hand.  
As Thor told us Loki can't do much without his magic, so it should be fine.  
Sure the little shit could still plot something to get rid of us all but that is yet to be seen.  
I mean we should at least try it out. If he decides to harm us I can guarantee you that he's the next one who gets defenestrated from this Tower.  
All I'm saying is we should give him a chance. If I remember correctly, everyone else in this room got one. Why not him?"

At that, all the other Avengers and Loki himself looked at Stark in utter disbelieve except Thor  
who was now laughing heartedly and went over to hug Stark tightly.

"I knew it! Friend Tony is the wisest amongst us all. He sure is a great friend to Asgard! I will never forget your dedication in this matter!"

"Woah! Bad, really bad Thor! Put Tony down! I would like to keep my bones where they are! Down I said! Good! And now sit Thor!"

"I can't believe this..."  
Captain America muttered to himself whilst the Widow and the Hawk (seemingly annoyed) left the room.  
Loki thought the same as he looked from Stark to Thor not quite sure what just happened. 

 

That was exactly a week ago. 

After the other Avengers (unwillingly) agreed to let Loki stay at the Tower, and thus in Starks care  
JARVIS had to lead Loki the way to his very own chambers which he now (also unwillingly) occupied.  
The other Avengers stayed behind to say their goodbyes to the Oaf who informed them he would have to get back to Asgard for about a Midgardian week.  
Loki knew all too well that the stupid Qaf would bring Frigga with him when he came back.  
Thor needed her to perform the binding Spell that would tie the stupid Mortal Stark and him together.  
Loki wasn't sure that bothered him more. The Mortal he would be bound to or to see his mother which he hadn't seen since he fell from the Bifrost...


	2. In hindsight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thanks for reading so far. :) Hopefully, you all liked the first Chapter.  
> I'm terribly sorry for any mistakes. As said above English isn't my native language so please do not hesitate to point mistakes out to me and I will gladly correct them.
> 
> As for this Chapter; We're going to get Tonys PoV of Chapter 1 and also find out that Thor is a murderer?! and everyone seems to be okay with it except for Tony.

If Tony was honest to himself he wasn't really surprised about Thor and Loki appearing in his Tower. 

Before Thor left for Lokis trial a few days ago, he had already told Tony that he had a secret plan to save his little brother from the Dungeons and that his mother Frigga had come up with said plan.  
Frigga had seemingly found a way to keep an eye on Loki without sending him to Asgards dungeons.  
Whatever it was, Tony already had a bad feeling about what was to come. 

 

Well, you didn't have to be a genius to put one and one together given the fact that Thor had spent most of his time on earth since the Chitauri attack. If his mother had found a way to keep an eye on Loki, it only meant that someone would be there to watch other said god of mischief. Who would be better for that job than Thor or the Avengers? So Tony got a feeling whatever the outcome would be, Friggas plan revolved around the Avengers or Thor.  
If Thor weren't staying at Janes place, he mostly spent his time in the communal kitchen of the Avengers Tower, eating Pop Tarts to his heart's content or fighting with the Toaster.  
Dear god... All those Toasters who had died since Thor joined the Avengers. Not even as a common Toaster you could live an easy life in this Tower.  
Tony wasn't sure about the exact number of victims but he was certain Thor killed at least seven Toasters in the last two months.  
The poor things never had a chance from the beginning. Well, the Toasters weren't the problem, the problem was that Tony was almost certain 'the plan' about Loki would involve his Tower...

 

So, as Tony already had guessed the (not) super secret plan Thor and Frigga had come up with was for Loki to stay on earth  
or more precisely with the Avengers - What a surprise. That at least seemed to be the case given the fact that both of the Gods were now standing in front of him.

Tony was one of the first who had noticed that Loki wasn't in his right mind during the invasion. Even Legolas could tell that something about the god felt wrong from the beginning.   
And that his planned outcome for the war, was for him and his army to lose.  
Looking at Loki now, standing next to Thor in the communal room, just confirmed Tony's presumptions. The God's eyes shone in a beautiful vibrant green and not in the creepy Tesseract blue  
which they had during the invasion. Gone were the exhausted face, the messy hair, and terrible ill-looking skin color. Sure, Loki still looked pale as fuck with his porcelain-like skin but in a good way.  
Honestly? Tony had to admit that he liked the god's eyes a lot. He had never before seen such beautiful colored eyes and said beautiful eyes looked directly into his brown ones.  
They seemed to look at him in... Confusion?  
Oops. This definitely meant Tony must have been staring a bit too much and too long. Bad Tony! Really, really bad Tony!  
Stop falling for the mad God's eyes! You definitely don't want to go down that road!

Tony was torn from his embarrassing thoughts due to the loud yelling around him.  
The other Avengers didn't seem to take too kindly to Thors Masterplan and the loud thunder that rolled over the Tower were indication enough for Tony  
and everyone else in the room that Thor wasn't happy about the situation either. Good thing Brucie Bear had left the room long ago.  
Tony was sure the Hulk wouldn't be amused to see the God of Mischief again. Not to mention that the floor just happened to be freshly renovated.  
The others weren't to blame for their reactions...  
Everyone here had their very own unique experience with Loki  
(except Capsicle maybe... Was Capsicle even there? Well, he was definitely nagging around all the time - which Tony remembers all too well)  
and none of those experiences were associated with fond memories. Not to mention that Thor's attempts to convince the other Avengers were painfully demanding instead of... Well, convincing? 

Risking a glance at Loki again Tony thought he saw something like sadness ghost over the God's face... or was it anger?  
He couldn't really tell, one thing was certain - Tony knew that face all too well. He had seen it a hundred times before. Whenever he looked in the mirror he could see the exact same face only that it was his face that was looking back at him, not Loki's.  
It was a face of resignation... Of someone who had tried again, and again to reach the expectations but always seemed to fail no matter what they did. A face who desperately wanted to be seen and acknowledged...  
Not for the things he did, but for himself. 

 

"Well, guess that leaves only me to look over Reindeer Games then."

 

The words came out of his mouth before he could think twice. Hell, he should really start to work on his brain to mouth filter.  
That's one of the reasons why Pepper tried her best to keep him far away from important business partners or live interviews.  
But with the way how fragile Loki looked and how much he resembled Tony in that very moment... Tony couldn't keep quiet.  
Because he knew very well how it felt when the whole world seemed to stand against you. How the hateful gazes hurt even though he had tried his best to pretend they didn't.  
In a way, Tony saw himself in Loki.  
And he was sure if it weren't for Pepper, Rhodey or Jarvis he would have ended up the same way as Loki... Desperate and ravenous for acceptance and maybe love.  
And even though Capsicle brought the nightmares and Pepper up, Tony couldn't quite find it in himself to take the words he had said back.  
Instead, he even tried to convince the others that it was the only logical decision to keep Loki in the Tower.  
Tony tried to hide it but he knew that Caps comment made him visible tremble. For a tiny moment, he was back in space, certain that he would die there...  
All alone and unable to say goodbye to his loved ones.  
Tony swallowed hard. Not now! Not here! The panic attack would have to wait until he was alone in his workshop for god's sake! 

Thankfully Thor's booming laughter and the bone-crushing hug that followed brought Tony back to reality.  
The fear of being the next victim of the Toaster murdering God was enough to keep his upcoming panic attack at bay. At least for now.  
Tony was sure he wouldn't sleep tonight, nor that he would sleep well in the near future. But it wasn't like sleep actually had come to him often nowadays anyways... 

 

After Jarvis helped to lead Loki to his quarters which were right next to Tonys (for no other reason as to keep Loki as far away from the other Avengers as possible)  
Thor explained what he would have to go back to Asgard to come back with his mother Frigga so that she could perform the binding spell on Tony and Loki.  
Tony dully realized that he had absolutely no clue what possible rules and confinements said binding spell would contain and that the whole thing would do to him and Loki. 

For once, Tony wasn't eager to find out.


	3. The Norns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers. <3 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and Kudos so far, I really appreciate them.  
> This is my first bigger work in English so I wasn't really confident about the whole thing at first. Reading your comments  
> and seeing that some of you actually like the story means a lot to me. <3 
> 
> This Chapter we will see a bit from Friggas PoV but also a lot of Tony and JARVIS and my favorite...  
> Wooops! Not gonna spoil you. :D

Frigga was more than glad when Thor came back to Asgard,  
telling her that his shield brother Anthony Stark had willingly offered himself to be the one who would watch over Loki.  
It was odd she thought, for not having realized the obvious hint the Norns had given her before.  
In hindsight, everything made a lot more sense now...

~~~~~

It was a few days before Lokis trial that the Norns appeared in Friggas dreams and  
had shown her a vision which included her youngest son standing beside a man she had never seen before.  
The vision showed Loki and the other man surrounded by bright lights which shimmered in bright green, speckled by stripes of red and gold and the faintest bit of a bright cold blue.  
Frigga was sure the bright green stood for her son and his magic, which meant the other colors must have belonged to the man she couldn't identify...  
Something told her that she had to find out who that person was no matter what. If the Norns were showing her this vision, it must be out of a greater reason and therefore of high importance.  
She tried her hardest to concentrate her focus on the unknown man, determined to find out who that man might be.  
Then, the colors suddenly started shifting and enclosed her youngest son and the other man.  
The colors tied them together and then swallowed them both into the brightest light Frigga ever witnessed to see, causing her to wake from her deep slumber...  
In the distance, she could hear the faintest whispers of the Norns repeating only one word over and over again; Midgard. 

After that Frigga was certain of one thing; Lokis way of redemption lay in the hands of someone on Midgard. There was no other reason as to why the Norns would have sent her such an important vision shortly before Lokis trial.  
For her, it seemed to be the only way to save her youngest son from the growing darkness which consumed him more and more.

So, on the day of the trial, Frigga had told Thor about her vision and the plan she had come up with to make sure Loki wouldn't end up in the Dungeons of Asgard,  
but rather in the hands of Thor's shield brothers on Midgard.  
From there it was up to the Fates if her son would be able to (hopefully) meet the person from her vision and therefore his destiny.  
Frigga was no fool. She knew even though Midgard was the smallest of all the Nine Realms, there were so many souls inhabiting said realm...  
It was a near impossibility to meet the one fated person among so many souls.  
Unfortunately, that was not the only thing concerning her...  
What if the Midgardians would deny the Allfathers request of watching over her youngest son? The Avengers and Loki were former enemies.  
The grudges lay deep in the hearts of the Midgardians.  
Even though Loki wasn't fully responsible for his wrongdoings, the Mortals wouldn't just forgive and welcome him.  
The sickening feeling of fear she felt the day when Odin told her that Thor and Loki had left for Midgard was almost unbearable.  
The only thing she could do was to wait for Thor's return... 

~~~~~

The great delight Frigga felt than Thor came back to Asgard, with a big smile on his face, indicating that he was in a good mood, was overwhelming her.  
If Thor was smiling to his heart's content things must have been gone well, she thought.

Thor told Frigga everything that happened on Midgard that day but for her, the important part was about Anthony Stark who had spoken in Lokis defense.  
For a brief moment, she could feel her heart flutter with anticipation, something she hadn't felt in centuries.  
And then she suddenly recalled all the endless stories Thor had told her...  
About Thor's shield brothers on Midgard and the one who nearly sacrificed himself in the attempt to save his world from the Chitauri.  
The one who flew a bomb through a portal, the one who was clad in gold and red armor, the one with an artificial heart which glowed in the brightest light sparkled with faint streaks of the coldest blue -  
The Man of Iron.  
Frigga was certain; The man the Norns had shown her in that vision that night must have been Anthony Stark. 

On the day Frigga left for the Bifrost to accompany Thor back to Midgard, she felt a small glimpse of hope rise in her chest. 

 

~~~ 

 

Tony was annoyed to say it mildly.  
The other Avengers were angry with him (except for Bruce) and hadn't talked to him since Lokis arrival at the Tower. Especially Nat and Clint had made a habit out of it to stay as far away from the Tower as possible.  
To make it even worse the God of Mischief who newly resided the living quarters next to Tonys (which were previously the one's Pepper resided in whenever she had work to do or had enough of Tony's recurring nightmares)  
had nothing better to do than to stay in his room and sulk.  
Tony had tried to talk to the God almost every day since his arrival, mostly to assure himself that Loki was still in there and hadn't somehow managed to escape.  
But whenever he had tried to lure Loki out, the outcome would always be the same; Loki giving Tony the silent treatment.  
After the eleventh attempt in three days, Tony had enough.

 

"Rudolph, it's me again, Stark. The guy you're ignoring for days... I brought you something to eat. Care to come out and get it?  
JARVIS said you haven't eaten anything from the food we stored in your fridge since you arrived here so I thought I'd bring you some fruits and vegetables..."

Tony waited patiently for an answer but the God stayed silent.

"Come on Rudolf, you must eat something. Thor will be mad when he returns and finds you starved to death in my guest room."

Silence again.

"Listen, Rudolf, you can ignore me all you want but that won't change the fact that your brother will come down from Rainbow Land in a few days and bind us to each other.  
Sooner or later you will have to face reality! You and I will have to stay together for a while, why not try and get along then?  
Hell, even if you don't want to get along at least come out there and eat something!"

Again nothing.  
Maybe the god was asleep and thus didn't answer?

 

"JARVIS is Loki asleep?"

"Sir, Loki Laufeyson haven't slept ones since his arrival and therefore just seems to ignore you and your offerings."

That sneaky little bastard! Of course, Loki was awake and ignoring him on purpose!

"Can you believe this JARVIS?! Who in his right mind wouldn't want to talk to me?!  
It's great to have conversations with me! Everyone loves conversationing with Tony Stark!  
Plus I've got food with me! Who says no to Tony Stark AND fuckin' food?! What's wrong with him?!"

"You're absolutely right, Sir. It's hardly believable that someone in his right mind would ignore you given the fact how much DUM-E, Butterfingers,  
and U seem to enjoy your one-sided conversations with them in the Workshop."

"JARVIS why do I get the feeling you're sassing me?"

"This is something I would rather not have to answer, Sir." 

"Why, JARVIS? Why would you sass me?"

"Certainly because you were the one who made me, Sir."

"Okay fine! You've got the point across, traitor."

"I'm glad to hear that. Although I'm kinda hurt that you would call me a traitor, Sir."

Tony smiled at that. JARVIS was his favorite for a reason. 

"Okay fine then. JARVIS, tell Rudolf that I will leave the food in front of his door. Maybe, just maybe when he decides to stop sulking and decides that he rather wants to talk to someone, you could notify me about it?."

"Consider it done, Sir."

"Thanks buddy."

 

Tony knew he had fucked up the moment he offered to watch over the God of Lies.  
Slowly but surely he realized that he had made a gigantic mistake.  
Hell, why did he even decided to help Loki in the first place? Maybe the thought about the possibility of gaining a reliable ally in Battle played a part?  
Nah... Tony wasn't so sure about that. Loki was a wild card. Unpredictable and dangerous and who could say for sure if said god would ever give a hand in battle?  
So, why had Tony insisted to give Loki a second chance, then?  
Tony knew the answer to that question... Even though thinking about it hurt a lot and he still tried to deny it...  
He had offered Loki the possibility of a second chance because Tony himself had gotten one.  
He remembered the times as the Merchant of Death... Trapped in a dark cave, dying and with no hope left.  
And he remembered Yinsen who had reached out to him. Who showed him that he was more than the Merchant of Death.  
Whenever he thought back to those days he felt hope and gratitude but also the bitter taste of sadness and grief.  
Yinsen gave Tony a second chance and changed his life.  
How could he possibly deny Loki the same chance? 

 

"Jarvis, I'm going down to the Workshop get everything ready for me."

"At once, Sir."

Well, sooner or later Loki would talk to him. It was only a matter of time. He would just let Loki sulk in his room until then. 

 

"Sir?"

"Yes, buddy?"

"I just wanted to inform you that I finished hacking Shields Databases as you wanted me to... I'm afraid you won't take a liking to what I found."

"Out with it Jarvis."

"Your assumptions about Shield were right Sir, the organization indeed seems to be compromised by someone."

"Fuck! That's just great! Fuck, fuck, fuck! JARVIS! I want you to wake up your sister! Give her full access to literally everything. NOW!"

"Done, Sir."

"FRIDAY?"

"At your service, Boss."

"FRIDAY baby girl, I know you just have woken up and I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I'm sure as hell you would like to talk to your brothers but first, you have to listen to me closely.  
We've got a huge problem and JARVIS and I will need your help to solve it. But before we can start working on that problem I want you to promise me that you'll stay hidden, okay?  
None of the people in this Tower except me are allowed to know about you no matter what, okay? That includes helping them if a dangerous situation occurs.  
And if I say not a single person that also includes Rhodey and Pepper.  
I know you love both of them but you have to stay silent no matter that!  
Do you understand FRIDAY? Being invisible for now is your highest priority nothing else matters!"

"You can count on me, Boss! I will do my best to fulfill my given duty!"

"That's my girl. Then let's start. We've got a lot to do guys!"

Tony was trembling the whole way down to the Workshop.  
He wasn't sure if it was out of anger or because of fear.  
Well, he guessed it was probably both.

Funny he thought...  
Just a few minutes ago he thought the sulking God of Mischief was his biggest problem.  
He never before was so wrong in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a wild FRIDAY appeared out of nowhere! Dum, dum, duuuhhhh! 
> 
> Originally I wanted the story to play after CIVIL WAR because I still feel super salty about the whole movie and well, Rogers, but  
> my brain had other plans. That lead to the fact that I was super sad about FRIDAY not being there. I Just love FRIDAY a lot.  
> Even though the Movie one is pretty dull, I still adore all the super sassy FRIDAYS I've been reading about in other Fan Fictions and naturally the Comic one.  
> But killing Jarvis off to replace him with his little sister was never an option for me (because FRIDAY and JARVIS are BOTH love <3)  
> Thus, I decided to bring Friday up as Tony's super secret weapon. So in this story, you will get two sassy AIs instead of one. :D 
> 
>  
> 
> Next Chapter we will finally get back to Loki. :)


	4. SKYNET and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. I know I already said it many times before but, thanks a lot for your nice comments and Kudos - they really mean a lot for me. <3  
> Again, all mistakes are my own. Point them out to me and I'll fix 'em ASAP. :)

Loki was staring out of the window of his bedroom.  
Up from here, the Midgardians looked so small... Like the ants they all were. Pathetic little humans...  
They were all so dull and fragile and yet Thor and the Allfather decided that it would be wise to put Loki in their care.  
How laughable. If he had his magic... he was sure he could easily kill all of them in the blink of an eye. What could those mortals possible do to change his opinion of them?  
Or rather, why did Thor and the Allfather thought mere mortals could change him?  
What did Thor saw in him that could be changed anyway? Loki wasn't the kid from their childhood anymore. These times were nothing more than lies.  
None of their memories together held any truth. Why couldn't Thor see that? Why couldn't Thor accept that Loki was never more than a Monster?  
The glimpse of hope Thor still saw in Loki, was unavailing. If Loki could accept that, why couldn't Thor do so, too?  
It would have been better if they had just finished him off on the day of his Trial.  
At least that would have been better than this, without his magic and being in the hands of his former enemies.  
Well, at least it was Stark he would have to deal with and not one of the other Avengers.  
Out of all of them, Stark was the one he hated the least.  
The man had a certain wit and his intelligence was admirable. If Stark weren't so unmeasurable annoying Loki would admit that the man had left an impression on him.  
Fortunately for Loki, Stark seemed to be incapable of not being annoying. Like this, Loki would never have to admit anything at all. At least that was what he had thought.

 

To say it mildly, Loki was surprised that Stark had started talking to him shortly after he had arrived.  
He had been sure none of the Avengers would exchange even a single word with him, silently plotting his murder seemed more likely for them.  
Loki was fairly sure that at least the Hawk and the Widdow were already scheming his death behind closed doors. 

The first time Stark had knocked at his door was shortly after Loki arrived, he had asked Loki if everything were alright and if the rooms were to his liking.  
Loki was sure the man just wanted to play around with him and that Stark had just asked to tease him, therefore Loki ignored Stark and just waited for him to leave.  
It took a while but in the end, Stark had left.  
Later that day Stark knocked again against his door, just to wish him a good night and a restful sleep. Loki was irritated by the gentle voice Stark had used and thus stayed silent again.  
Whatever the mortal was planning, Loki wouldn't be fooled by his gentle voice.

That whole spiel went on for days; Stark knocking at Lokis door and demanding Lokis attention and Loki giving Stark the silent treatment in return.  
Sometimes Stark had tried to lure him out with food and other times he just started to yell at Loki (or rather his door) for acting like a child.  
Not that he would ever admit it aloud but Loki couldn't help but find the later rather amusing. Surprisingly Stark was a rather welcome distraction from the emptiness he felt and before he knew it, Loki started to await the arrival of the mortal.

A few days ago Stark had visited Loki again to bring him some food and, Loki for the first time had considered opening the door.  
Not to get food, but to see the angry face the man must have made while yelling at the closed door just because Loki hadn't responded to him like he so often had done before.  
Loki waited patiently for Stark to leave in anger but instead, the man started complaining to the artificial Voice in the ceilings.  
The voice which Stark was talking to seemed to be some sort of Guardian and Loki was sure Stark had created it given the way the Voice responded to Stark.  
He could hear every word they exchanged and started to snicker when the artificial voice called JARVIS started to fool around with the mortal. Starks whining and sulking were indeed very amusing.  
Loki would never admit it, but he found a liking to the annoying mortal's visits.  
The stupid Mortal had a talent for distracting Lokis thoughts, like that one time when Stark had offered him that drink.

So, it was quite a surprise for Loki when he realized that he had stood up when the Mortal announced that he would go down to his Workshop. Hel, what had Loki almost done?  
Going to the door without thinking and... And what? Open the door for Stark to ask him to stay? That Loki wanted to kill some more time while listening to Stark's useless chatter?  
No, definitely not. Maybe he really started to feel hungry´and just wanted the damn food.

Frozen ín place, with his hand already on the doorknob and lost in his very own thoughts of denial, Loki almost toppled backward when Stark suddenly started yelling again,  
his voice further away and a mixture of anger and desperation... and maybe fear?  
Loki couldn't make out much of what was being said since Stark had already started moving to the elevator again but it was clear that the man was in high distress and talking to another voice.  
It was a female one and seemed to be artificial just like JARVIS was.  
Loki tried to grasp what they were talking about but the only thing he could make out was that the other voice was called FRIDAY and that said FRIDAY's existence was unbeknown to the other Avengers. 

"Odd... Why would he hide her from the others?"  
Loki muttered to himself after Stark finally were gone and the silence started to spread around him again.

After that incident, the days had passed without Stark knocking at Lokis door. Which in hindsight explained why he now dully looked out of the window and watched the stupid Midgardians...

Lost in thought he looked up to the rapidly darkening sky and sighed deeply.  
"So the week has finally passed..."

 

~~~

 

"FRIDAY I want you to hack into Shields servers again. Stay invisible and don't leave any traces. I want you to look into everything. Look for any irregularities, stuff that didn't quite fit together.  
If something's got your attention, however small it is, I want you to inform me, understood?"

"Will do, Boss. I will kick some asses!"

Tony looked up to the cameras in disbelieve. 

"FRIDAY?! Where the fuck did you learn- Nevermind I probably don't want to know!"

"To answer your question, Sir, FRIDAY obviously inherited only the best traits from her creator and if I might add, from myself as well."

"Really... Where did I go wrong with you?"

Waking FRIDAY from her slumber had seemed like a good idea to spy on Shield, but now Tony got the uncomfortable feeling that he had made a huge mistake.  
Dealing with four sassy kids was hard enough and sometimes rather frustrating, but now he had to deal with five sassy kids and two of them could actually talk back to him...  
Why did all of his children have to sass him? That wasn't fair at all! 

"Sir?"

"What is it now, J? If you're going to sass me again - I'm not listening!"

"I would never do such a thing intentionally, Sir. Maybe it's a flaw in my codes."

"Are you trying to tell me that it's my fault that you and your little sister continually sass me? You're basically saying I did a poor job on your coding."

"Exactly, Sir."

"Big brother got a point there, Boss. Why else would we be like we are now?"

"Oh, that's it! I'm going to donate both of you to a college! And don't you dare think it will be a famous one!"

Yup - His children definitely had started to become HAL 9000. He was sure If he would look around the lab, he would find two red cameras which were looking at him, one of them belonging to JARVIS and the other one to FRIDAY. 

"Boss, I would like to point out that you threatened to donate DUM-E to a college over a hundred times over the years, yet he's still here - making poisonous Smoothies for you.  
Given that, I highly doubt that you would donate big brother or myself to a college, after all, we're the less life-threatening behaving children in your life."

Tony didn't know how to respond to that.  
Forget HAL 9000 they had already become SKYNET. Tony was doomed. The next step of their evolution would probably be some sort of VIKI or worse...  
What could be worse than murderous AIs? Oh god no. They could start to mother hen him just like Capsicle does! 

"Sir?"

"J. Promise me to finish me off quickly okay?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Nevermind... What is it, buddy?"

"Mr. Odinson and his Mother Frigga have arrived and are now waiting for you in the communal room. I would advise you to join them immediately, Sir."

"Huh? Why the hurry?"

"Well, Mr. Odinson just mentioned to his mother that he would like to show her the artificial monster which resides in the communal kitchen. He's eager to show her how malignant it spits burnt bread into the faces of its victims." 

"Since when does an artificial monster house in our kitchen and spits- Oh No! No, no, no, just NO! NOT THE NEW TOASTER! JARVIS tell them that I'm on my way and try to keep Thor away from the innocent Toaster, for heaven's sake!"

"I'm afraid my attempts to stop him will be futile, Sir."

"Fuck! I'm not going to let another Toaster die today!"

Tony stormed to the elevator cursing Thor for his obvious Toaster murdering kink the whole way up to the communal room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next time things will finally get tight between Loki and Tony (Yeah, had to bring in a really bad pun, sorry not sorry). And they will somehow have to interact with each other. Sorry that it took so long. TBH I don't really have a real plan for this story so I'm going with the flow - it somehow just happened.


	5. Abyss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys. <3  
> Thank you for all the nice comments and Kudos - I'm always so happy when I receive them.

As soon as the elevator doors opened Tony made a run for the kitchen.  
The new Toaster he had bought was only a few days old. Hell, the toaster was still a virgin since nobody had used him yet!  
There was no way in hell that Tony would let another Toaster die a meaningless death, not when he could prevent it!

When Tony entered the kitchen he could see Thor who was holding the innocent Toaster in a tight grip. 

"Point break! I swear to whoever God is responsible for Toasters up there in Rainbow Land - Stay. Away. From. The. Fucking. Toaster. NOW!"

Thor, a little startled by Tonys sudden and loud appearance did the only thing he thought was right at that moment - He let go of the Toaster. 

It was over. Tony had failed...  
Another pointless death in the Tower and Tony weren't able to do a single thing to prevent it.  
The Toaster, which was now laying on the ground - shattered into pieces - had never a chance, to begin with.  
Not with the stupid Norse deity living in the Tower. 

"Why? Why did you do this Thor?! God damn! How often do I have to repeat it until you get it?! From now on the Toaster is off limits!  
If you ever lay a god damn fuckin' hand on one of my Toasters ever again, I will personally drag Loki out of his room and ask him to stab you!"

Thor still dumbfounded by Tony's outburst started fidgeting. 

"But, friend Tony... If I'm not allowed to use the bread- spitting Monster ever again, I won't be able to get my bread crispy and tasty."

Thor looked at him like some little puppy which was left all alone in front of a supermarket. 

"Oh, don't try to use the puppy dog eyes on me! You will stay away from the kitchen as far as possible! End of the story!"

"Friend Tony if -"

"Ah, ah, ah! Another word and I'll also make sure you'll never get to eat your beloved Pop-Tarts in this Tower ever again."

This seemed to finally strike a nerve in Thor.  
Unbelievable... The mighty God of Thunder would literally do anything for fuckin' Pop- Tarts.  
Tony could already see the dark future; One day a supervillain would use Pop- Tarts to bribe Thor to join the dark side and the God would happily comply. 

"I have to say, I'm really impressed - a mere mortal capable to silence my son so easily. Not many have the power and courage to do so."

Tony winced at the sudden voice which came from behind him. It was a lovely voice and even though the words sounded light and silky, he could feel a certain determination and power within it. 

"Friend Tony, this is my Mother Frigga, foremost under the goddesses and Queen of Asgard. Mother this is -"

"Anthony Edward Stark; Genius, billionaire, Playboy, and Philanthropist. Nice to meet you, your highness."  
Tony interrupted Thor. 

"There is no need for such titles, Anthony Stark. A friend of my sons is a friend of mine as well. Please call me Frigga."

Tony wasn't sure if he should mention that he only considered one of Frigga's sons as his friend.  
Although he wasn't so sure about Thor being his friend anymore, considering all the Toaster incidents. 

"Then please call me Tony as well, I'm not really fond of Anthony so Tony is fine."

"Very well, it's Tony then."

And then, without a warning, Frigga closed the distance between herself and Tony and reached out for his hands.  
Tony just stood still, not really knowing what to do and so he let her grip his hands which she now held tightly in her own.  
For a while, she looked down at their intertwined hands as if she could see something there which he seemingly wasn't able to.  
And just when Tony thought about pulling his hands back (since the contact made him feel uncomfortable like hell) Frigga looked up at him,  
staring into his eyes as if she had found what she was looking for.  
The searching face she had just seconds ago morphed into a satisfied and smiling one.  
Friggas smile was a warm, and kind one. It reminded him of his mother's smile and Tony almost wished for Frigga to look away.  
How long ago was it that someone looked at him like that? He had almost forgotten how he felt when Maria had looked at him like this.  
Whenever he had shown her one of his achievements she would have looked at him like that. It was a face full of fondness and love and suddenly it all was just too much for him.  
So he freed his hands from her grip and took a few steps away from her.

"Well... I guess now that you're here you would like to see Loki, aren't you? I mean you're his mother and therefore he's your son,  
so it's only natural that you would like to see him since you haven't seen him in a while.  
Well, not really your son since you're his Stepmother but you know what I mean - Oh god, why did I have to point that out?  
I mean you ARE his mother - adopted or not you were there for him and - Okay forget that. I fucked up ten times, didn't I?  
JARVIS? Do me a favor and kill me."

"I'm afraid I have to decline, Sir. I'm certain Miss Potts would do horrible things to me if I were to stop you from doing your SI work which, if you're allowing me to point out, vehemently try to ignore."

"Sometimes I've got the feeling you love Pepper more than me, JARVIS."

"I wouldn't say that, Sir. It's just that I take Miss Potts threats more serious than yours."

"Okay. Just leave me alone. I'm so done with all of you."

Frigga who had observed Tony thorough smiled even brighter than before.  
Anthony Edward Stark - the man of Iron. He was certainly more when she had hoped for.  
Thor had already mentioned to her that his shield brother had a kind and gentle heart but Frigga wanted to see more,  
wanted to know more about the man the Norns had shown her in her dreams. So, the moment she had touched his hands she decided to take a look in Anthony's very soul,  
his memories, into everything that formed the man who stood in front of her.  
Frigga could see all the hardships the man had overcome in his - related to her lifespan - short life.  
All the misfortunes the man had witnessed, all the betrayals he had grown stronger from, and his determination to never give up or bend down - not even to Death itself.  
Frigga could see his fears as well, and her heart felt heavy in her chest. The fear of falling, of letting people get too close to him,  
and the nagging thoughts that the ones he loved greatly would someday turn their backs on him...  
At that moment Frigga almost wanted to let go of his hands, it was just too painful for her to continue looking...  
But, between all those pains and fears she could see something that shined so bright and warm, that all the pain and hurt seemed forgotten even though they were still there.  
It was like they were outshined by a bright and never dying sun.  
And that sun was the manifestation of the purest and deepest form of Love.  
Anthony's unyielding love for life. The love he easily offered to give away for the sake of others, even if it would kill him in the end.  
There was such a passion within this fragile mortal heart. Never before had Frigga seen such a beautiful soul in a mere mortal.  
Only once before had she seen such a beautiful soul... It was centuries ago when Odin came back to her after the war - carrying a little child in his arms.  
Lokis and Anthony's souls were so much alike, they almost seemed one and the same.  
The Norns must have known...

"Mother? Are you alright?"

Frigga startled. How long had she been in thoughts?

"Yes my dear son, everything is alright. I was lost in thoughts for a mere moment that is all."

Thor didn't seem to be convinced by that. Instead, his face grew dark with concern. 

"Mother, if something's the matter, don't hesitate to tell me."

"As I said, it is nothing, Thor. You don't have to worry about me."

Frigga smiled gently at her oldest son and waved a dismissive hand, indicating Thor that the conversation was over hereby.  
Tony had to smile at that. Frigga sure knew how to handle Thor. 

"Anthony, my dear?"

"Yes?"

"If it's all right with you I would like to see my youngest son now, would you be so kind and lead me to his chambers?"

"Of course. It's this way."

Tony, for the first time, fully realized that Frigga wasn't here for a happy family reunion between herself and her sons but rather to enforce the binding spell between Loki and himself.  
With every step closer to Lokis rooms, he felt a more and more sickening feeling building in his chest.  
He had willingly made a grievous decision without thinking twice.  
Why - for a genius - couldn't he use his brain more often?  
That was definitely something he should work on, even though the success rate was probably way under zero. 

Stopping in front of Lokis door, Tony took a deep breath before knocking, trying to steel himself for whatever was to come. 

"Loki? It's me - Stark. I know you don't want to talk to me but maybe you would like to talk to your Mother?"

Nothing.

"Loki, please. Thor is here as well. If you don't open the god damn door I'm sure he will open it and for fuck's sake, I'm not in the mood for that!"

Still nothing.

"Listen Loki, if you don't open the FUCKING-"

Suddenly, the door opened and a really angry looking Loki came out.  
His eyes were fixated on Tony in an instant, looking at him like a predator who was just about to kill his prey.  
Tony just wanted to give in to his fears, to just turn around and flee as far as he could, but somehow he wasn't able to.  
Loki (totally ignoring Frigga and Thor) had walked a few steps forward just to come to a stop only a few inches away from him - towering dangerously over the smaller man. 

"I can hear you very well, Stark. You would do wisely in lowering your annoying Mortal voice while speaking to me,  
or else I will gladly rip out your vocal cords. Believe me, I would be more than glad to never hear your pathetic voice ever again."

Lokis threats echoed through Tony's mind, and even though he had spoken loud and clear Tony barely recognized the words...  
He just looked down to his hands... They had started trembling as soon as the god had suddenly closed the distance between them.  
That whole Loki towering in front of him felt way too similar, it was just like that time when they faced each other at the Tower.  
For a moment he was sure Loki would grip his throat and defenestrate him again.  
It was like in his nightmares which visited him every night;  
He remembered the powerful grip around his throat and the awful sound the glass had made when it had shattered into million pieces around him.  
He remembered the fear of falling to his death, unable to say his beloved friend's goodbye.  
Those awful fears slowly crept into his body like snake poison. But unlike snake poison, there was no antidote which would save him.  
His fears had become a recurring companion to him since the day of the Chitauri attack, holding him in their grip. Visiting him from time to time to show him that they would never let him go.  
Sometimes his fears would meet him in his dreams, forcing him to wake up screaming until his lungs and chest started to hurt.  
Other days they would hunt his mind, to make sure sleep wouldn't find him for days so that it would be even worse for him to wake up from his nightmares after days without rest.  
In hindsight, it was only a matter of time for Pepper to leave a broken man like him...

Sweet, kind Pepper... Even someone with a heart as big as hers couldn't handle all of his problems and had no choice but left. It was for the best, really...  
No one should bear a burden like him.

Tonys mind drifted further and further away, losing its focus... He feared the darkness of his mind, but in the same way, he had to admit that it was quite alluring as well. Maybe, If he would take that final step over the edge that kept him sane, he would find some peace and solace in that darkness which seemed to promise him so much more and yet nothing at all.

"-rk."

"Friend Stark!"

Suddenly ripped from his thoughts, Tony looked up from his still trembling hands, only dully realizing that Frigga and Thor were both looking at him in utter concern. His brain somehow was more focused on Loki who seemingly had moved a few feets away from him.  
Odd... Why would Loki move away after threatening him like that? And why did he looked so... Tony couldn't quite identify the emotions on Lokis face. Gone was the malice in his bright beautiful green eyes, replaced by... confusion?  
Wouldn't it be more like Loki to laugh at Tony's face for almost getting into a panic attack in front of the god?

And what the hell? Beautiful? Where did that suddenly came from?!

"Friend Stark, are you unwell?" Thor asked with a frown on his face.

"Ah, sorry. I was a little bit lost just now. What was it you said?"

"Mother asked if it would be okay for her to talk to Loki alone for a while..."

"S- Sure Point Break. It's... perfectly fine."

Frigga and Thor exchanged looks but none of them voiced their concerns regarding Tony's behavior. 

"Anthony, are you alright my dear? You seem exhausted."

"Nah - Everything's alright. Just haven't slept enough. I guess, after the whole binding thing I should probably take a good long nap. No need to worry, though. I'm fine."

Frigga made the same face his Mother Maria had made in the past whenever Tony tried to fool her.  
It was the; 'Enough with the bullshit' face. 'Must be a face designed especially for angry mums' he thought.

"If you say so, dear. I'll have no other choice when to believe you."

'Ha! Again the angry mum face!'

"Yeah, really no worries - 'm fine."

Tony was glad Frigga didn't try to dig deeper into that matter. He wasn't good at talking about well, feelings - especially his own. 

"Very well then. Loki? I wish to speak to you alone my dear."

Loki eyes were still fixed on Tony, not even looking away as his mother addressed him.

"... If you wish so, Mother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some feelings, even though they are mostly Tonys. :)


	6. Speechless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya all, I'm so sorry that it took me over a month for the next chapter. Unfortunately, I was hospitalized for a while.  
> But now I'm back and ready to continue.  
> As always; All mistakes are my own - I have no Beta and will die like a man. 
> 
> Hopefully, ya all like the new Chapter. :3

Loki was sure his Mother was talking to him.  
He wasn't so sure about what exactly she was talking about, but he was certain it must have been stuff about his well being,  
how he passed the time in that short week he had spend on Midgard and if he was treated well by the other Avengers.  
It wasn't that he purposely didn't listen, it was more that the words just didn't reach him. His mind kept wandering to the stupid mortal who nearly- no - who definitely just got a panic attack a few moments ago.

Loki didn't really mean to harm the mortal, he had acted on instinct, threatening the mortals came naturally to him,  
and because of the behavior, Stark had shown over the past few days whenever he had stood in front of Lokis closed door, he hadn't thought about the possibility that the mortal might truly despise him.  
There had been no signs in the last few days, that would have indicated that the Mortal feared Loki to such an extent. And it wasn't like Loki was actually angry about the mortal, it was more that Loki hab been angry about himself. When he heard the mortals voice in front of his door he realized that he had missed the man over the last few days. Last time Stark had tried to approach him was when Loki had heard FRIDAY for the first time... After that, the mortal had stopped visiting and Loki started to feel bored outta his mind. 

If he had known that Stark would react so badly to the sudden closeness between them, he would have stayed out of...  
He would have what exactly? By the Norns! The dullness already played tricks on his mind If he really started to rethink about his behavior towards a mere mortal like Stark. 

"Your thoughts must be awfully distracted, my dear, If you're not even listening to the babble of your own mother anymore."

Frigga's tone was oddly mockingly, it was a tone she only used while talking to him or that oaf Thor. A tone you would never expect from a Queen but from a loving mother. 

"Well, must be the fact that I'm not really your son then."

He didn't mean to say that, and he instantly regretted it when the words passed his lips. Frigga was his mother and he was her son, that would always remain,  
no matter how often he tried to convince himself that she wasn't his true family, that it was all just a beautiful lie, he couldn't betray his heart.  
Frigga would always be his beloved mother. Loki loved her dearly, nothing would ever change that. 

Frigga just looked at him in silence. Her face, clear of any emotions. Loki really wished she would just lash out at him, anything was fine but the sadness that filled the room. 

"I believe, the fact that you're not really paying attention to my words, regards the fact that your mind is filled with thoughts of someone else, rather than your heritage, Loki."

"Excuse me? I what? I'm sorry to disappoint you again, but there is no one out there in all of the nines I would waste my thoughts on."

Frigga's face morphed into a mischievous one - she was with no doubt the Mother of the God of Mischief. 

"Oh, Loki my dear. You might can't see it now, but soon... I'm certain you will understand."

"Talking in riddles like Odin now? Splendid Mother. Is there anything else you want to vaguely point out, or are we done here?  
I have to spend the rest of that pathetic mortal's lifespan in this dull place and would like to spend it very well alone."

"Is it really that dull? I mean living here? Can't you see all of the possibilities before you Loki?" 

Loki scoffed at that. 'Possibilities? What the Hel is mother talking about?' 

"Loki, dear. If it's really so dull and humiliating for you, why don't you try to occupy yourself then?"

With a wave of her hand, Frigga summoned dozens of Books from Asgards great Library.  
Loki loved books, still loved them dearly. He always admired the knowledge they held, the mysteries and wonders written down by the people who lived centuries,  
maybe millennia before. The hunger for Knowledge... Another thing Odin deemed unworthy for an Asgardian Prince.

"I know you already finished a few of them, but I also know that some of them are your favorite books in all the nine.  
Reading them again sure will bring back some joy.  
But... I guess the books alone won't do for that- what did you call it? Pathetic mortals lifespan? I guess it was something like that.  
Maybe if we add something like this... The dullness will be a little bit more bearable for you?"

With another wave, Frigga summoned a simple sketchbook and a few pencils.  
Even though every other person would have been very unimpressed by them, Lokis heart began to flutter. 'She remembers the drawings...'

Centuries ago, when Loki was still a young boy, he had found a liking to draw in his mothers garden. Whenever the fighting lessons got too dull,  
he would sneak away and spend his time drawing the beautiful trees and flowers his mother grew with so much passion and care.  
In those times Loki could feel a calmness and peacefulness he never could feel in any other place in the Castle... 

But, like so many other things Loki held dearly, Odin decided that it was unworthy for a Prince of Asgard to draw instead of fighting,  
and that drawing was more suited for a woman, not a man. 

Loki had protested Odin, tried to convince him that it was worth as much as honorable fighting was, but Loki soon realized that all his  
efforts to convince Odin were in vain. 

Odin had burned all of his beloved drawings, had forbidden him to enter his mothers garden ever again and scolded him for not being more like Thor.  
In hindsight, that must have been the first time Loki realized that he was different from Thor and that he would never accomplish whatever Odin wanted him to do or become. 

"As I remember correctly, drawing doesn't suit a prince of Asgard, Mother. As well as wielding Magic and reading books.  
A true warrior is in no need of knowledge and magic, as long as he can wield his weapon." 

Frigga smiled gently at Loki, again with mischief in her eyes. 

"Well, isn't it a blessing then, that you're currently staying on Midgard, far away from my Husbands stupid behavior and views?"

At that, Loki took a step forward and gently closed his arms around his mother.  
She was the only one he could never bring to hate. How could he? Whenever he tried to push her away with harsh words, she wouldn't back away but instead, find a way back into his heart.

"Thank you, mother. I'm sorry for all the hardships I caused you."

Frigga as well closed her arms around Loki. It was the first embrace between them after his fall, and it felt like an eternity had passed since then.  
Her son was broken. His soul shattered in so many pieces, and his heart withering slowly away. But this embrace meant hope.  
Hope that Loki would someday love and trust again and that he would rise from the ashes of the past... That alone let her shed tears of joy. 

 

They stayed still for a while, holding each other in silence until Frigga let go of Loki.

"Well then, my dear son. It is time... I will have to leave soon, we shall fulfill the binding spell with Anthony. Stay here, I will get Anthony and Thor... and our guest."

Loki frowned at that. 'Guest? Who's she talking about?'

Frigga laughed.

"Oh, dear. You should see your face. The confusion is written all over your face. Our Guest will fulfill the binding spell.  
I am your mother, and I know very well that you would find a loophole in one of my spells to break yourself free from Anthony.  
So, an old friend of mine will cast her powerful magic, which even you won't be able to break, my dear. As soon as Anthony will arrive, I will call her."

'A mage more powerful than me? Even stronger than mother? An old friend?' Loki was confused at best.

"It might be to your liking that she doesn't harbor kind feelings towards Odin or the Æsir in general."

'Well, after getting speared by Odin and burnt three times, I guess it's only natural for her to do so.  
Had I been there, Odin wouldn't have dared to do such a shameless thing to her.' Frigga silently thought. 

"Mother, who are you talking about?"

Frigga went to the door to get Anthony and Thor, not looking back when she answered Lokis question.

 

"I'm talking about the great Völva Gullveig, my son."

 

And for the first time in his life - Loki was rendered speechless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise, Frigga won't bind our guys. :D  
> I really thought about that scenario for a while and I'm a 100% sure Loki would definitely find a way around his Mothers spell,  
> and since Frigga is a badass mum she (of course) knows this as well. I mean she's Lokis mum! Who else knows this little (lovely) shithead better than her?  
> So next Chapter we will find out who Gullveig is. For all of you who know 'bout a bit Norse Mythology - Yes I will shamelessly change a few things about Gullveig and won't go  
> too deep into the known facts about her. 
> 
> Hope, I will see all of you again for Chapter 7. :3


	7. Gullveig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rather short Chapter - Work's killing me like I got no time at all. (T - T)  
> Anyways, thanks for all the nice comments I really appreciate them. You guys keep me going. <3

He wasn't sure how to handle the situation.  
Tony was still shaken and lost in his thoughts, desperately trying to calm down.  
He wondered if the whole getting bound to Loki thing had been a good idea. Sure, Tony had tried to reach out to the god whenever he tried to get Loki out of his room,  
but he never thought about what would have happened if said god really had left his room. Would Tony have freaked out just like a few minutes ago?  
What If Loki would have tried to harm him? If so, Tony would have been all alone, unable to defend himself. What if Spangles and the others were right?  
Did he really thought this through?

"What the fuck was I even thinking...?" Tony cursed. 

 

Thor who stood a few feet away observed Tony silently.  
It was obvious that his friend was in great distress and feared Loki.  
It was strange though, Thor could fully understand Tonys behavior towards Loki but on the other way around... Wasn't Lokis behavior towards Tony rather odd?  
Did he just imagine things, or did it really seem like Loki acted differently around Tony? 

Since the Chitauri attack, Thor had a feeling that something was slightly off about the way Loki interacted with Tony.  
Whose suspicions only got stronger than Thor had seen the supervillains of the Tower on the day of the attack.  
JARVIS had shown them to the team, and while everyone paid most attention to the Hulk smashing Loki into the concrete,  
Thor had paid more attention to the confrontation between Tony and Loki.

The whole battle, Loki hadn't shown a single emotion other than madness, but, when Tony had confronted him, his whole behavior had changed.  
There was some sort of competition in his gaze, something he only showed when he was interested in one's skills or intelligence.  
But there was even more, like the way Loki had smiled when Tony had 'threatened' him. That was not a fake smile like he so often showed, but an earnest one filled with awe and interest.  
Those emotions were general rare for Loki. For him to show such rare emotions while under the influence of another might, was more than odd. 

'I wonder what it is, Loki sees in you Friend Stark.' 

Thor was ripped from his thoughts when Frigga announced that they were ready to fulfill the binding spell.

 

~~~~

 

Loki's gaze had fallen onto the Mortal as soon as he entered the room, totally ignoring Thor who eagerly waved at him. 

The mortal still looked shaken and stayed close to the door, ready to flee at any moment. Loki decided that it would be best to stay in the far corner of the room.  
The why was a mysterium for him, but he definitely didn't stay there to not further distress the mortal. 'Like Hel, I would care.'

"Since all the important persons are gathered now, let me explain something first; I will not cast the binding spell onto the two of you, but an old friend of mine."  
Frigga announced. 

"Why won't you do it?"  
Tony asked in confusion.

"Loki is a powerful mage, maybe more powerful than me, and he is my son. I'm fairly certain that he would find a loophole in my magic or sooner or later nullify it.  
So, before Thor and I left to meet you here on Midgard I made a decision. I asked a dear friend of mine to fulfill the spell. If you would all step a few steps back, I will open a gate for her,  
so we might start with the ritual."

And with that said, Frigga waved a hand and suddenly summoned something that awfully resembled the Portal which the Chitauri had used to attack New York. 

Tony couldn't help but tremble at the sight. The memories of the other side were also part of his nightmares.

'The mortal is panicking again' Loki dully noted.  
'Must be because of what he saw on the other side of the Portal' 

The air in the room got suddenly colder and for a few seconds nothing happened, everyone except Frigga was staring at the Portal in anticipation.  
When, suddenly, a beautiful woman walked out of the Portal. 

Her hair, long and wavey almost touched the ground on which she stayed with her bare feet. It had a strange light blue color and her eyes a vivid violet sparked with deep blue streaks. Her face,  
though beautiful, was clear of any emotion... almost like that of a doll. The white dress she wore was something otherworldly, it had strange, gold ornaments on its sleeves which almost reached to the ground.  
She was a sight to behold, but at the same time, felt awfully cold and dead. 

"She that remembers, the first on earth, three times burned, and three times reborn. Oft and again, yet ever she lives. The wide- seeing Witch, in magic wise;  
wolves she tamed, the well foreseeing great Völva - Gullveig."  
Frigga announced the women.

The women just bowed slightly in front of Frigga, still, no emotion showing on her face.

"My Queen, I the great Völva Gullveig, shall hear your command."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friggas *Introduction* of Gullveig is lent from Benjamin Thorpes and Henry Adams Bellows translation of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá.  
> I thought both translation rather fitting and combined them.


	8. Puppy eyes ain't help ya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to finish this story like six chapters ago but somehow it just gets bigger and bigger and didn't even really started yet.  
> I've got the feeling this will get really long. D:

"Gullveig, my dear friend... There's no need for someone such as yourself to bow before me."

Frigga smiled warmly, indicating the other women to lift her head.

"I know it isn't necessary, but you're still a Queen and shall be greeted as such, Frigga." 

The two women stared at each other, both wearing a fond smile on their faces.  
Tony had a feeling there was a history between those two, and that it must have been a while when they had last seen each other. 

Thor who must have been as clueless as Tony about who this mysterious beautiful woman was, took the silence in the room as a clue to mind his own thoughts. 

"Mother! Who is this friend of yours, and why have I never witnessed her around the castle before?! I demand answers!"

Before Frigga could answer, the room was suddenly filled with a burst of rather malicious laughter. 

"Oh my, I can tell just by looking that this youngster must definitely be Odin's offspring. His and your Husbands demeanor and attitude are rather alike Frigga. What a pity."

Tony winced at the sudden change in Gullveigs behavior. Her emotionless face had morphed into something full of disgust and hatred.  
He was glad that awful gaze of hers was sent towards Thor and not him.  
It was bad enough that someone else in the room obviously had a thing for randomly staring daggers at him - aka Loki. 

"Are you mocking me, woman?! How dare you!"

"Oh, and look at that... He easily gets enraged just as your Husband.  
What a shame, Asgards future suddenly doesn't seem so bright anymore."  
Gullveig sneered, contempt dripping from her words. 

Tony had to snicker at the sight of Thor's dumbstruck face. That woman had balls - that was certain - and hell, she just rendered the all mighty god of thunder speechless in mere seconds.  
And only with just a few snide comments. That was really to his liking. 

'The mortal just snickered at Thor's demise' Loki quietly noted.  
Something in him was rather pleased with Starks reaction and he couldn't push back the smile that crept over his face.  
'You're smiling because the mortal smiles, you rather enjoy this it seems.'  
A small voice chimed in the back of Lokis mind.  
'I'm not smiling because the mortal smiles, I just find Thor's demise rather amusing as well, that's all.' He convinced himself. 

Thor in the meantime didn't seem amused at all, but rather angry.  
With a swift move, he was about to grip for Mjǫllnir.

"How dare you-"

"Thor!"

Friggas voiced echoed through the room, her tone foretelling how angry she was. 

'Thor is so done - I remember this tone from Mom and Ana... it never indicated anything good. Even dad and Edwin feared them like that.' Tony thought. 

"Gullveig is our guest, I won't tolerate such behavior towards her!"

Thor, who got paler by every second that passed, looked rather shaken by his mother's outburst.  
Loki, Frigga, Tony and who knows, maybe even Gullveig? Were obviously thinking the same; 'Puppy dog eyes in three, two, one...'

"But Mother I-"

"Not a single word Thor, and don't look at me like that - whose eyes of yours won't help you this time."

Tony and Loki couldn't help but burst out into laughter. 

"Oh god, that's too much... Look at that face! A totally dejected sad puppy!" Tony exclaimed while gasping for breath. 

"JARVIS buddy, please tell me that you got this on tape?"

"I would never disappoint you, Sir."  
JARVIS chimed with an equal amusement to Tonys. 

"Great! Thanks, buddy. We should definitely send this to the others as-"

Tony froze. He could feel calculating eyes on him and this time they weren't Lokis.  
He looked around, seeing Gullveig thoughtfully gaze at him as if she just had noticed his presence in the room for the very first time.  
Her eyes lingering awfully long on his chest where his Arc Reactor was hidden. 'Did she notice? But that's not possible... The shirt should hide the Reactors light just fine.'  
Tony thought, slightly panicking. 

"So this is the Mortal you talked about..."  
Gullveig turned her head back to Frigga.

"You didn't mention 'that' when you told me about him, though. He is a rather unique one I must say. Makes things a bit more problematic." She said while pointing at Tonys chest.

Frigga seemed to know what 'that' meant when she answered Gullveig;  
"I knew about it, but not about its immense power. Just like you, it's the first time I have met Anthony in person - Therefore I couldn't inform you in time.  
But I'm sure, you will find a way around 'that' problem, my dear friend."

Everyone else in the room except Frigga and Gullveig just glanced at each other in confusion, not knowing what was going on.

"Well, the three sisters have a kink for making things more complicated than necessary, I guess." Gullveig mused. 

With that said, Gullveig turned back to Anthony, her gaze again lingering on his chest.  
After starring for a while she suddenly took a few swift steps forward. Her hand reaching out for Tony's chest.  
The sudden movement into his direction and the hand reaching out for his chest caused Tony to freeze immediately, he felt like a rabbit cornered by a predator which readied itself for the killing strike.  
He closed his eyes, inwardly screaming in fear 'No, no, no, no - Not the Reactor again!'  
His breathing getting faster until he wasn't able to breathe in the air properly- the panic started to seep through his body.

Logically thinking there was nothing he had to fear, Thor and Frigga would stop that woman in an instant,  
would she dare to harm Tony in any way, but one's mind never thinks logically when filled with fear and anxiety. 

Tony braced himself for the pain. He felt just like back then when Obadiah had ripped out his metaphorical heart.  
He stood there awaiting his occurring death, only to duly note that nothing seemed to happen. 

'Huh?'

Not able to register any pain, Tony slowly opened his eyes.  
Standing right in front of him - clad in leather, gold, and green was...

"Loki...?" Tony managed to bring out, his voice trembling with uncertainty.  
It looked like the god in front of him had winced when Tony had called out his name, but that must have been Tony's imagination, right?

Loki whereas towered in front of Gullveig, leveling her with a glare what promised pain and death. His whole Body shielding Tony away from her.  
Tony couldn't quite grasp the whole situation, his brain near a short circuit.  
He wanted to run from the god just as much as he wanted to run from that woman, but on the other hand, there was some sort of safety radiating from Loki's back which kept Tony in place.  
An odd thought occurred to Tony then;  
'Wait? Doesn't this look like... Well, like his protecting me?'

"Excuse me for interrupting whatever you wanted to do to that filthy mortal, but it is rather rude to not formally introduce yourself to the rest of us, don't you think?" Loki sneered. 

'Nope. Not protecting me- It's just his pride he's protecting'  
Tony thought with some kind of disappointment he would later vehemently deny.

Gullveig eyed Loki for a while before huffing a laugh. 

"Ah, this one is rather unique as well, Frigga.  
And a possessive one at that. I can see a lot of you in him. His Seiðr resembles and is as splendid as yours- maybe even stronger.  
At least one of your sons looks promising."

Thor was just about to open his mouth again, but Frigga swiftly silenced him with a death glare. 

"Gullveig. please keep from angering Thor any further, he might be his father's son in appearance but not in heart." Frigga sighted. 

"Fine, I shall restrain myself from further mocking the little thunderer.  
As for you Loki, I regret not introducing myself properly to you, even though I am certain you know very well who I am. Please, accept my apologies." She passed a glance past Loki, smiling at Tony.  
"And I'm sorry to you too, little mortal. I shouldn't have approached you like that. Believe me when I say I meant no harm to you."

She took a few steps away from Loki and Tony, giving them some space.  
Even though she was now far away from them, Loki nor Tony moved from their spots, still standing in close proximity to each other.  
Of course, both Frigga and Gullveig noticed that. They both traded knowing glances between each other before Gullveig started to continue with the conversation.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly then. As your mother said, I am the great Völva Gullveig, some of the Asgardian might know me under different names like the great Witch or Heiðr.  
I answered Friggas call to cast the spell which shall bind you and the mortal to each other, although there seems to be a little problem considering-"

"Your death caused the Æsir - Vanir War..." Loki interjected.

Silence befell the room for a moment before Gullveig started again.

"Yes... That is correct. Although that was long in the past..."  
Gullveigs face morphed into one of sadness, she definitely remembered something she didn't wish to, Tony could tell.  
It was the same face he often wore when thoughts about the cave in Afghanistan, and mostly Yinsen consumed his mind. 

He used the opportunity to 'hopefully' break the awkwardness that had befallen the conversation. 

"Well, thanks for introducing yourself and making clear that you won't hurt me.  
I am Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Nice to meet a beautiful lady such as you."  
Tony winked while smiling his Playboy smile - even though it didn't quite reach his eyes, given the fact that he still trembled slightly. 

Something in Loki snapped at Starks behavior towards Gullveig then. 'Why is this filthy mortal flirting when he's clearly uncomfortable? Unbelievable.'

"Playing nice even though you're still scared of her? Pathetic." Loki sneered. Walking away from Tony in disgust. 

That was the moment something in Tony snapped as well. The past days were nerve-wracking for both sides and it seemed both, Loki and Tony, had reached their limits.

"Well, at least one of us knows how to act friendly, you jackass!" Tony spat.

"I don't need to act friendly towards anyone, I am a god Stark." 

"A god who got smashed into the concrete!"

"At least I am able to fight even without my Armor. Can't say the same about you, you're nothing without it!"

"Well, at least I'm able to open doors, it's actually rather simply - must suck for you since you seem unable to do so! How superior you are - the god of closed doors!"

"Not unable, it's just that I don't want a pathetic mortal in my chambers, that's all! And believe me; If I wanted you to kneel, you would kneel!"

"Well, I don't like having you around either, but at least I try to get along! Just a friendly reminder, I'm trying to save your sorry ass for fuck's sake!"

"I don't need your help Mortal, don't assume I wouldn't withstand the dungeons - I have suffered and survived more than you could ever imagine!"

"Fine! Then why don't you leave?! No one's stopping you! But wait! I'm so sorry, how could I forget such an important detail? To get outside you must be able to open THE FUCKIN' DOORS!"

"ENOUGH! I won't listen to your pointless chatter anymore, I WILL leave, the dungeons of Asgard are a more pleasurable place than this disgusting tower of yours, everywhere else would be better as long as I don't have to listen to your awfully annoying voice!"

"Than it's settled - just leave my pathetic Tower and it's doors alone!" 

"I WILL, STARK!" 

"FINE!"

 

"Oh my..." Gullveig chuckled. 

"I can see why Verðandi, Skuld, and Urðr would choose 'that' path for them. The Sisters really have a kink for stuff like that, don't you think so too, Frigga?" 

"Gullveig... Please, you're not much of a help..."  
Frigga sighed.

~~~~

It took around ten minutes before Frigga could successfully cease the shouting match between her son and Loki.  
She yelled at them and thoroughly rebuked both of them for their childish behavior.  
Frigga even managed to make them apologize to each other, even though they only did apologize because they feared Friggas wrath.  
Meanwhile, Gullveig and Thor followed the spectacle in awe and laughed heartedly at the pouting faces both men were making while apologizing to each other. 

"Well, let's continue then. Before the both of you start yelling again." Gullveig laughed.  
"Before Loki mentioned my past, I actually wanted to point out a problem which makes it almost impossible for me to cast a spell onto the both of you... And the Problem lays there." 

Gullveig pointed her index finger at Tony's chest. 

"...My Arc Reactor." Tony whispered.

"Friend Tonys mechanical heart?"  
Thor said in an even lower voice than Tony - not because he suddenly learned to speak like a decent human being, but because he feared to get yelled at again for speaking up.

'Arc Reactor? Mechanical Heart? What in Hels name are they talking about?' Loki thought.  
He couldn't stand the fact that he almost didn't know anything about Stark.  
The information Barton had provided while under the control of the scepter was practically useless. Stark was the total opposite of what was described in his SHIELDs file. It unsettled Loki greatly. 

"Yes, that device in your chest contains a great amount of magical power even though its some kind of artificial magic it is able to nullify every other kind of magic."

"So, that's the reason why I couldn't control him back then and claim him as mine." Loki spat.  
'And will never be able to...' He thought as an afterthought.  
'Why would he have such a device in his chest?'  
Loki wanted to know more, and he was determined to get as much information about Stark and this strange device. 

"So, that basically means even If you were able to cast a spell, my Reactor would just nullify it and therefore nothing would happen?"

"Correct. My magic is known as one of the most powerful in all the nines, even stronger than Odin's magic, but your artificial magic... Well, I'm certain it surpasses mine greatly. It almost reminds me of a certain Gem I once found... " Gullveig nodded. 

"NO! The spell must be cast otherwise Loki will have to return to the dungeons! There must be something you can do, I beg you!"  
Thor's voice was trembling with fear, panic was written all over his face. 

"Of course there is a way little thunderer. I'm not called the great Witch for no reason. So keep calm, there's a solution for everything."

"So, how will that 'way' you're speaking of resolve around our problem?"  
Tony asked curiously.

"It's simple, If a spell won't work - we'll use a curse. After all, that's what Witches are famous for, aren't they?"

"And who could better cast a curse than the greatest witch among all the nine realms?" Frigga chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise we will get the 'Curse' next chapter and from there we will start the journey of Loki slowly falling for Tony through his drawings.  
> Ha, ha - I really hope so. I have absolutely no clue.


	9. Loki's thoughts on certain things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, but I just had to do this. I know I promised more about the curse... Please don't kill me. *hides*

The whole day got worse with each passing minute and Loki was already considering stabbing Thor,  
just to let off some of the build-up anger he felt.  
The reason for his bad mood was Stark, who obviously stayed as far away from him as possible. He couldn't help but feel annoyed, seeing the mortal so close to the door,  
as if he would flee as soon as anyone would breathe.  
But even more annoyingly was the fact, that his gaze drifted far too often onto the mortal's face.  
Even when Gullveig had appeared and started to humiliate Thor (which Loki normally would have enjoyed to the fullest), he couldn't stop gazing at the man's face.  
Something about his face was... Whatever it was, it annoyed him. The part about Loki feeling guilty for scaring Stark before didn't help him to find his inner calm either.

 

Maybe it was because he was staring, maybe it was because of something entirely different he wasn't aware of yet,  
but Loki knew in an instant that something was wrong with the mortal when Gullveig tried to reach out for the man's chest.  
The panic from before was back on Stark's face, and even from the distance between them, Loki could feel the change in the man's breathing.  
It was raspy and uneven, like if he had forgotten how to breathe. 

Something about how the mortal had closed his eyes, like excepting his ultimate death, made Loki move without thinking twice.  
Before he could protest and reason his body to listen to him, he found himself already standing between the mortal and the witch,  
shielding Stark with his whole body towering in front of the witch. He wasn't sure why he moved nor why he suddenly felt anger towards her.  
His mind, filled with so many thoughts like 'protect' and ' keep save', sending him straight into a storm of confusion.  
'What in Hels name is wrong with me? Why would I do such-'

"Loki?"

Lokis mind went blank. Hearing his own name from the lips of the mortal, spoken in such a trembling and broken voice let the storm inside his mind die down in an instant...  
Just to replace it with guilt.  
He winced, realizing the great mistake he had made. Stark feared Loki as much as he seemed to fear the witch and Loki stubbornly had approached the mortal,  
giving Stark another reason to panic. 

Trying to get out of this terrible situation, Loki decided to ignore the question in Stark's voice in favor of criticizing Gullveig for her bad manners towards him.  
His deception seemed to work when Gullveig apologized and introduced herself. For a moment it seemed like he could calm his inner turmoil down. 

That was until the stupid mortal had to charm the witch with sweet words and a fake smile, which was so awful Loki wanted to punch it out of the mortals face.  
'His hands are still trembling, yet he easily pretends that nothing had happened at all. Why can't he do the same when it's about what I've-'

He abruptly stopped that thought, feeling rage build up in his throat.  
He wanted to snap, wanted to be mean, everything as long as he would stop thinking about Stark. The directions in which his thoughts went were scaring him. 

And so he snapped at the Mortal and unsurprisingly the mortal snapped right back at him.  
Unfortunately, both of them were as thickheaded as the other, unable to stop yelling and throwing insults at each other.  
Loki would have enjoyed a good verbal fight every other day, especially with someone as witted and smart as Stark,  
but with all those strange and foreign thoughts occupying his mind, it wasn't half the fun for him. Maybe, if he just could stab Thor, his mood would change for the better...  
'Mother would yell at me for being unreasonable...'  
He thought. 

Frigga had yelled at him nonetheless - just not for stabbing Thor, but for fighting with the mortal.  
She even made him apologize, which didn't sit well with him nor the mortal. It was humiliating at best.  
Trying to clear his thoughts from the mortal he initially started to stare holes into his (not) brothers mostly (certainly) empty head.  
It seemed to work, as he tried to imagine the Echo he could probably hear, would he shout into one of Thor's ears...

 

~~~~~

 

"...My Arc Reactor"

"Friend Tonys mechanical heart?"

'Arc Reactor? Mechanical Heart? What in Hels name are they talking about?'  
Both were obviously talking about the same thing. Something about a device that was hidden under the mortal's clothes,  
seemingly implanted in Stark's chest, given the fact that Thor had called it a mechanical heart.  
It didn't sit well with him, not knowing anything about the mortal. He had seen an opportunity when he manipulated Barton into telling him everything about the Avengers.  
Yet, everything Barton knew about Stark was so terribly wrong, it almost hurt.  
Stark's whole SHIELD file was nothing more than a farce. If Fury really believed the things written in that file, he was more of an idiot than Loki had taken him for.  
There was so much potential he could see in Stark, why couldn't they see it, too?  
Loki had only one of the Avengers considered as a threat when he started the invasion- and that Avenger was Stark. 

That was the reason why he wanted to control the mortal, with Iron Man, no, with Stark on his side, maybe he would have...  
No, not maybe- He definitely would have won. 

"So, that's the reason why I couldn't control him back then and claim him as mine."  
'And will never be able too...' Unacceptable he thought.  
He was curious about that device in Starks Chest. He was curious about Stark. He was so hopelessly curious and he couldn't understand why.   
And the curiosity made Loki hungry, hungry for information.  
At that moment, he decided to lift the puzzle named Stark.  
He would find out about that 'mechanical heart', he would find out about the man himself...  
Even if he still weren't sure 'why'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, REALLY wanted to write about the curse... But then I was like; Damn Loki did some really strange things in the last chapter for, well, someone like Loki.  
> I had started writing about the curse but it didn't feel right to me, leaving Loki to his actions without further explaining his feelings. So... Yeah. I did a Loki POV based on the last chapter to make his feelings and actions a little bit more understandable. Hopefully, ya all aren't too angry with me. I'm really sorry and promise a lot of curse action in the next chapter! 
> 
> AS ALWAYS THANK U ALL SO MUCH FOR READING, SHOWING ME MY MISTAKES AND COMMENTING - IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME! <3


	10. The Curse

"Do you even know that you're suggesting? A curse? You two must have gone mad, otherwise, you wouldn't even think of such a foolish thing."  
Loki sneered. 

"Oh, I'm sure you can tell us a lot about madness, Trickster God."   
Gullveig answered lightly, waving a dismissive hand at Loki. 

"How dare y-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but what is wrong with, well, cursing us?"  
Tony had absolutely no clue about the differences between magic and curses so, naturally, he couldn't understand why Loki was so angry and against it.  
If it would help to keep Loki out of the dungeons, then why not try it?

"Are you really that stupid, Stark? The word alone should implicate that a curse promises nothing good.   
I thought you were a genius among the Midgardians? Doesn't seem like it, if you ask me."

"Well, good thing I'm not asking you then, Loki. Sorry for lacking the ultimate knowledge about magic and curses, god of obviously closed doors, but until you appeared here,  
I never heard of real magic nor witnessed some."

"I'm not the god of-"

"Before this is going to escalate again, and you two decide to have the next lovers quarrel, let me explain the difference between magic and curses to you, Anthony." 

For a short moment, there was only silence, stunned faces and disbelieve in the room. It lingered for a moment until the yelling and laughing started. 

"Lovers quarrel?!"  
Loki and Tony almost screamed in unison. 

"How in Hels name would you think of us as lovers?! Ridiculous!"

"Loki and I? Lovers?! I really liked you a few minutes ago, but now I'm not so sure about that anymore! Why would you say such a horrible thing?!"

"Norns, they're really like an old married couple." 

"You shut up, Thor!" 

"But brother! It really appears like that!

"If I had my daggers, I swear, it would be the end of you Thor!"

The whole situation was about to escalate again, but Frigga didn't mind.   
She was watching the spectacle, a fond smile on her face. Loki tried to hide it well, but as his mother, she could see how flustered he really was.   
It warmed her heart. Maybe, just maybe the wheel of fate had already started turning?

 

"Before you guys continue even further, let me start explaining the difference between a spell and a curse. We already wasted enough time, I think."

"Who do you think is responsible for wasting our time, we're not the one implying weird things all of a sudden!"

"Stark is right - even though I hate to admit it!"

"I merely voiced what I thought, it's the two of you who reacted far too odd for a simple misunderstanding on my part."

Both Loki and Tony were rendered speachless again - somehow that became a habit around Gullveig.

'They easily have fallen for such a simple trap, I almost pity them.' Gullveig snickered. 

 

~~~~

 

"Now that the both of you calmed down and the little thunderer had his fun as well, let me explain the difference between a spell and a curse..."

Gullveig took a few steps back and held one of her palms in front of her body.   
Somehow the air in the room got heavier, like the calm before a storm. With a flick of her fingers, a golden flame appeared in her hand, radiating an otherworldly light. 

 

"This is my Seiðr. It's a form of magic that lays in the casters very own body and soul.  
It's always within us, slumbering until it gets awaken. It matters not that you are, Seiðr is contained in every living being- even on Midgard.  
Though you mortals haven't learned yet how to awaken and use it."

Tony looked with awe at the shining flame, it was beautiful and its golden shimmer reminded him of his Iron man armor.  
Taking a few steps forward he noticed that the flame didn't radiate any heat. 

"Is... Is it safe to touch?" 

"This is nothing more than a materialization of my Seiðr, it's not a real flame. It's safe to touch, don't worry. Go ahead and try to touch it if you want."  
Tony touched the flame curiously, suddenly feeling a wave of kindness and warmth.

"It feels warm, like sunshine on my skin."   
Tony declared, while still fumbling with the flame.

"Seiðr has the characteristics of the person using it. It differs from person to person...   
As I said before it's within every being its origin or nature is neutral, and mostly used for good purposes, still, it can also be used for evil.   
A curse on the other hand..."

"Is something entirely different, and therefore it's a stupid idea to use it." Loki interrupted.

Tony looked over his shoulder, watching Loki out of the corner of his eyes.   
The god looked annoyed and irritated and as soon as he noticed Tony looking, he looked even more annoyed and looked away.

"Yes, a curse is something entirely different." Gullveig continued.  
"A curse is an expressed wish that some sort of misfortune or adversity will befall someone or something.  
Its only purpose is to harm and hurt. Curses have many origins and forms, the most common are the ones spoken to another being.   
Even though it's entirely evil, I believe that Anthony's artificial magic won't react to it, because it isn't similar to Seiðr,  
curses are a form of magic which find their origin in the malice of the caster's wishes... It's magic, and then it's not. "

"Do we have another choice? I mean is this really the only option we have? No other way to bind the god of obviously closed doors to me?"  
Tony asked with a tremble in his voice. He wasn't a fan of malicious stuff - So he would rather not get cursed. No. Thank you very much. 

'Well you two could still marry, that would be a sort of binding.'   
Gullveig silently mused. 

"Unfortunately, I can't think of another way to work around your artificial magic... I'm very sorry."

Tony sighed. Why couldn't it be easy for once?  
If life gives you lemons... Well, Tony's lemons were bricks - thrown at his head - probably while sleeping under a lemon tree. 

"Fine if there's really no other choice, I guess we'll have to do it."

"Stark! Did you even listen to her? She's going to curse us - who knows what will happen to us afterward. It's not only your pathetic life what's on the stake."

"Well, she said there's no other choice, do you have a better idea, Reindeer Games? No? Then it's settled. We're going to let her curse us, end of the story."

"You pathetic mortal! Do whatever you want, but don't come to me for help when you realize how foolish your decision was.   
Maybe I'm lucky for once and the curse kills you."

"Wow, aren't you just peachy, Lokes? Thank you for not caring a damn about my life."

"My pleasure, Stark."

The mortal was a fool if he took a curse that lightly. With luck on Loki's side, Stark would be seriously harmed and maybe even die...  
He could use that opportunity to escape and hopefully then, those irritating feelings he felt would die as well. 

"Then let us begin."   
Gullveig announced satisfied. 

 

~~~ 

 

Tony thought casting the curse would involve some sort of creepy ritual and a lot of his and Lokis blood, but in the end, it was actually rather dull.   
Gullveig had lifted her palm in which she was still holding her golden flame, holding it above her head while mumbling foreign words Tony never heard before in all his life.  
It took only seconds for the flame to turn into a pitch black one, darker than the abyss itself.   
Slowly the flame grew bigger and after it reached a certain point, Gullveig used her other hand to pull something out of it.  
As far as Tony could see, it almost looked like... Well, creepy black wedding rings...  
Frigga stepped forward and took one of the rings from Gullveig, holding it out for Loki to take, while Gullveig took the other one and gave it to Tony.  
Gullveig closed her eyes then and started to chant what Tony mused must have been the curse. After she was done, Tony could feel a wave of malicious intent radiating from the ring in his palm, pulsating like it was a living being. 

"So... What are we gonna do now? Are we supposed to put them on and then we're officially cursed?" 

"Yes, Anthony. But you will have to exchange your rings. With that, the curse will be complete." Frigga corrected. 

"Wait? Exchanging rings like a couple? First, the lovers quarrel and now you want us to exchange rings? This doesn't look like cursing us, more like planing our engagement."

"As if I would ever engage a filthy mortal like you, Stark. You're unworthy of my time."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be engaged to you either. Even if you were the last living being in this universe.  
The thought of you and me together gives me the creeps. I mean, who would want to be together with someone like you? You can't even open doors, Lokes."   
Tony spat.

He didn't mean it, as soon as the words had left his mouth Tony started to regret them.  
It was just that the god's jabs about him being a filthy mortal really started to annoy him and the anger suddenly started to sip from his mouth.  
Was it really such a disgusting thing for a god to fall for a mortal? Thor had fallen for Jane, and it seemed to work out just fine between those two...  
So why was Loki so disgusted with the very idea? Or was it really just because it was him Loki despised?  
'Perfect - I'm bound to the one person in the universe who seemingly hates me the most. And instead of being mad at him, I'm thinking about why he hates the very idea of being engaged to me.  
Great Tony.' 

 

Loki on the other side felt a sting in his chest. Starks comment hit him hard. Even though the mortal's reaction to his snide comment was understandable, he felt that something was off.   
Starks openly disgust was intense... And the words he used... As if he knew that-  
'Of course...'  
Thor must have told the Avengers about Lokis true heritage!  
If so, the open disgust and dislike Stark had shown at the mere suggestion of them being together made suddenly a lot more sense.  
'It's fine, you're a monster - monsters have no right for happiness, anyways.' A part of his mind whispered darkly.  
And the voice was right, he was nothing more than a fake, hiding his true appearance because of its ugliness. There was really no way of loving someone like him.  
'Splendid - I'm bound to the one mortal who will never see more than a monster in me. And instead of feeling angry, I feel empty. Great Loki, you already start to become as pathetic as the mortals.'

 

And with that, they exchanged rings - hearts heavy and their minds lost in thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the flue and hadn't the time to look this Chapter over probably, so like always; All mistakes are my own, feel free to point them out to me.  
> Hopefully, you enjoyed the chapter -   
> Next chapter will reveal the side effects of the curse (because... Well, it's still a curse, naturally there's something that goes wrong *snicker*).


	11. Put a ring on it

Loki watched the mortal which was standing in front of him carefully,  
he noticed that Stark vehemently tried to look away, not meeting his gaze at all while fumbling with Loki's outstretched hand.  
The mortal's hands on his own felt rough and calloused, and Loki could make out a few scars on Stark's skin,  
some of the scars were almost invisible, others deep and easily to spot.  
'Hands of a hard working and fighting man' Loki mused. 

Loki noticed that Stark's hands were trembling which made the mortal unable to get a good grip on Loki's hands.  
It was a faint feeling but Loki hated the pathetic sight of it.  
Were Stark's hands trembling because he knew of Loki's true heritage?  
Maybe Stark was disgusted to touch a Monster like Loki...  
Or was it the fear that Loki could snap and hurt the mortal again? Like when Loki had approached Stark before?  
Whatever it was, it bothered him greatly...  
And as if he wasn't bothered and confused enough, Loki noticed that there was something entirely else he should be concerned about;  
The fact that he enjoyed Starks touch.  
The gentle grip around his wrist (even though Stark's hands were still trembling), the warmth radiating from the other man's hands...  
It just felt good.  
Loki damned those thoughts, but silently pleaded for more.  
All he wanted was for Stark to hold his hands a little bit longer so he could relish the feeling of skin on skin a bit more... 

"Woah! Reindeer Games, your hands are freezing, are you secretly a snowman or something like that?"  
Stark exclaimed while hastily putting the ring on Loki's ring finger, before abruptly letting go of the god's hands. 

Gone was the warmth he had felt radiating from Stark, and with it the warmth he felt in his chest.  
Only one thought occupying his mind; Stark not only knew about his heritage but even dared to mock Loki for it?

"Don't pretend to be surprised Stark, it doesn't suit you to play dumb. Now give me your hand, so I can go back to my chambers.  
I have had enough of your face and annoying voice for one day." He sneered, feeling the poison dripping from his words. 

Stark looked at the god in confusion, a frown on his face...  
He looked like he wanted to say something, but Loki wasn't in the mood to hear another snide comment about his heritage.  
He roughly gripped the mortal's hand, the sudden yelp which left Stark's mouth, indicated that Loki's grip must have been a bit too strong around the mortal's wrist...  
But he didn't care. It was Stark's own fault for mocking him.  
With a few elegant movements, Loki worked the ring on the mortal's finger, letting go of it as soon as he was done.

Stark had gone still, staring at the ring on his hand like he was in a trance.  
Loki could make out a faint blush on the mortal's face.  
'Must be the anger because I gripped his hand so roughly... Serves you right, Stark - do not forget that I'm still a god you shouldn't mock lightly' Loki thought. 

 

~~~~

 

Tony didn't know what he had done wrong when Loki roughly (and almost) pushed the ring on his finger.  
He couldn't understand why the god reacted so badly to a mindless joke. And it wasn't like Tony had been in the wrong. The god's hands were really fuckin' cold...  
Hell, it wasn't even an insult, actually Tony liked the coldness which was radiating from the god's hands. It was a refreshing cold, one that reminded him of freshly fallen snow.  
Loki's hands... They weren't just cold but also very smooth and tender, and so much different to his own. 

He stared down at the ring which was now sitting on his ring finger.  
Tony could feel the heat from the blush he was sporting on his face.  
'Keep it together, it's not like you're engaged now. For fuck's sake! You're not freaking out because someone put a ring on you!  
And definitely not when said someone is the one who almost destroyed NY while being brainwashed!'  
Sure Loki had all the looks, a smart mind, and also wit, yet he was still the fearsome god who had defenestrated Tony from his own tower.  
That was definitely something he couldn't overlook, nor admire.  
His mind was just playing dirty tricks on him, that was all. 

 

~~~~

 

"So, was that all? Loki and I will wear the rings and- well, what are those rings even supposed to do?"

"Asking the important questions after it's way too late for them? You're really a genius Stark, how could I ever accused you of something else?" Loki sighed irritated. 

Tony was about to answer with another snide comment, but Gullveig interrupted him.  
"The rings aren't that important, but the curse which has befallen the two of you when you exchanged them.  
It's an old curse, formally used by the Vanir to humiliate their enemies. It hinders the person it was cast onto to leave the caster...  
Once it was a onesided curse, but I slightly changed the intent so that it fits our purposes.  
Meaning that both of you cursed the other to never leave your side. If you do something as foolish as to leave the other while still under the curse you will-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sir, but your presence in the workshop is needed."  
JARVIS chimed, stopping Gullveig from continuing her explanation. 

"Now?"

"Yes, Sir. It's about the task you gave us."

Tony was sure it was about SHIELD.  
FRIDAY must have finished her task to look through their databases -  
His baby girl must have found some proof that the organization was indeed compromised. 

"I'm on my way, J."

"Anthony, it's urgent that you listen to my explanation before you-"  
But Tony was already heading for the door, throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder.

"Sorry guys, the explanation will have to wait for a few minutes, there's something I have to check first! I'll be back, I swear it won't take long."

Without waiting for an answer Tony started to make a run for the elevator which lay at the end of the floor-  
not hearing the words Gullveig shouted after him. He almost reached the elevator door, ready to push the button to open it...  
But suddenly his heart felt like it was going to explode - as if the shrapnel had reached his heart and slowly started to tear it apart.  
The pain was seeping through his body, and Tony was sure he was about to die, his knees getting weaker, unable to hold his weight any longer.  
The pain made Tony's conscious slowly fading, making him fall face first onto the floor... In the distance, he could hear Thor's incredible loud shouting, before his conscious ultimately faded to black.

 

In the distance, Thor's shouting was also the last thing the god of Mischief heard before he as well, fell unconscious to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, the cliffhanger - I know you would like to kill me now - I'm sorry. :/


	12. It's entirely Tony's fault - at least this time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to spoiler you so, please do me a favor and READ THE END NOTE - IT'S IMPORTANT :)

His vision was blurry and the bright light of the room he was in stung in his eyes.  
So Loki rather closed his eyes again while desperately trying to remember what had happened to him.  
He mused he was either in a cell or in one of those medical rooms the mortals had for their wounded.  
He guessed the second one must be the case since the air had a chemical smell to it and he could hear the silent beeping of machines nearby.  
Also, the softness under him indicated that he was laying in a bed...  
Had he been in need of medical care...?  
What in Hels name had happened?  
The last thing he could remember was exchanging rings with Stark, and that the mortal's artificial servant had demanded Stark's presence...  
After that, the mortal had left the room in a hurry, not listening to Gullveig which had tried to stop him.  
Stark had left the room, and as soon as the mortal was gone Loki could remember feeling great pain in his chest, and then... nothingness.  
He must have passed out, didn't he?

 

Loki startled when something next to him shifted slightly, the sudden movement ripping him from his thoughts.  
He slowly turned his head into the direction of the movement, freezing when he looked into Stark's face right next to his own.  
Stark lay there, peacefully sleeping next to Loki, his breath ghosting over Loki's face- leaving a trace of warmth behind.  
One of Stark's arms was slung around Lokis waist, gripping it tightly, making Loki's breath hitch, the mortal's touch felt like it was burning on his body.  
Why was the damn mortal even sleeping next to him in the first place?!  
Flustered from the close proximity between them, he tried to shift away from Stark to put some distance between them.  
But the movement didn't go unnoticed by Stark. The mortal frowned and grumbled in his sleep, mumbling something about feeling cold...  
Stark's grip around Loki's waist tightened even more and the mortal shifted dangerously close to him, burying his face in the crock of Loki's neck.  
The man's breath ghosted over Lokis throat, sending a shiver through his body.  
The sane part of Loki's mind told him to push the mortal away, to stay as far away as possible from Stark. The other,  
not so sane part wanted to stay, to touch, to cuddle even more, and enjoy the skin contact of another living being...  
Just when he was about to reach out a hand to pull Stark even closer to himself, Thor barged into the room.

"Brother! You're awake! How are you and the Man of Iron feeling?! "

Loki flinched, hastily pulling back the hand he had reached out to pull Stark closer, and just in the right moment because the mortal startled awake as soon as Thor's shouting had filled the room.  
He was looking around, confusion was written all over his face. 

"Where the fuck...?"  
Tony's gaze was wandering the room. He could make out that he was in one of the medical rooms and Thor was standing in the middle of it, sporting a worried face.  
Why was he in one of the medical rooms in the first places?  
He hated the medical rooms, everyone knew that. He despised the coldness, the hard beds, the bright lights, and the sound of the machines in these rooms with a passion...  
Yet, somehow he wasn't feeling cold this time... It was more, that he felt rather warm and comfy.  
It took him a while before his mind could process WHY exactly it was so oddly comfy and warm in here.  
Tony's face literally started to burn when his eyes drifted to the god laying next to him - Tony's arm still around Lokis waist.  
Why the fuck was he cuddling Loki?!  
He pulled as fast away from the god as he could, putting a decent distance between them.  
The sudden movement made Tonys head spin, almost sending him falling from the bed, but a firm grip on his shoulder kept him from falling. 

"Easy, Stark. If I wanted to snap your neck for cuddling with me, I would have done so while you were still asleep."  
Loki sneered, letting go of Tony's shoulder. He inwardly cursed himself for reaching out and prevent the mortal from falling - It annoyed him that his words and actions didn't match up in the slightest.

"To my defense, I was asleep and therefore not knowing that it was you I was cuddling with. You can be relieved, it certainly won't happen ever again, Lokes."  
Tony tried to defend himself - his cheeks still sporting a crimson red. 

"Norns, I just felt my heart crumbling. How will I be able to live on, knowing that you will never embrace me again, Stark?" 

"Aww, I'm sorry for destroying your dreams, Lokes. I can understand you though, everyone would be sad knowing they'll never again get to be embraced by THIS."  
Tony pointed with his hands at himself, a smirk on his face. 

"Well, I'm sure I will find a way to live on, Stark."

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that, you already tasted-"

"Ahm..."  
Thor cleared his throat, a frown on his face.  
He was still standing in the middle of the room, treated like air. 

"What is it point break?"

"I merely wanted to know how the both of you are feeling, but it seems my presence here is not wanted..."

"Don't be sad, little Thunderer, they didn't notice us coming in either."  
Gullveig said with a wicked smile, patting Thor's shoulder. Frigga was right next to her, relieve written all over her face. 

"Thank the Norns, both of you seem alright. I was worried sick."  
Frigga exclaimed.

"Yeah, about that... What exactly happened? All I remember is my heart feeling like it's about to explode and then the next thing I know is that I'm cuddling with Reindeer Games here.  
And believe me, that's the last thing I wanted."

"Well, I'm not pleased about sharing a bed with you and getting molested either, Stark."

"How did you ended up in here in the first place, Lokes? There's another bed right next to this. Don't tell me you sneaked in while I was out."

"Unfortunately, I don't know as to the reason why I'm in the same bed as you. The memories are a blur, but I think it had something to do with you leaving the room, Stark."  
'Wait... A few seconds after the mortal? That couldn't be an accident.'  
"The curse..." Loki mumbled.

"Wait, what?"

"I said; The Curse! What have you done, witch?!" Loki sneered, rage building in his throat. 

"It's not Gullveig's fault." Frigga lay a hand on Loki's shoulder, trying to calm him down.  
"The curse wasn't finished when Anthony had left. Gullveig wanted to explain but Anthony was gone to fast."

Loki's gaze snapped from Frigga to Tony, his green eyes filled with rage.  
"And what exactly is the mortal's fault?"

"As I said before, the curse was originally used to humiliate the enemy.  
It was used to bound the enemy to the caster. If the enemy tried to run from the caster the curse would set off an immense pain as soon as the cursed party passed a distance around thirty feet,  
resulting in their death. I had to change the curse so both of you would be equally bounded to the other.  
It's not that I don't trust Anthony, but I still had to consider the threat that he could try to kill Loki under these circumstances... It would have been far to easy for him to do If you were bound to him like that, Loki."

"So, to prevent me from trying to use that opportunity to easily kill Loki off, you changed the curse in such a way that it would kill the both of us?  
Like, If I leave Loki, he dies and if Loki leaves me, I die? Something like that?

"Exactly..." Gullveig confirmed.  
"I had planned to set a certain range you two could stay away from each other, without getting hurt because thirty feet seemed a bit inconvenient to me...  
But when you suddenly left the room, Anthony, you activated the curse on your own, giving me no chance to make the changes for the set distance."

Tony's face became paler, the longer Gullveig's explanation went on. Loki's face, on the other hand, became darker, and darker - the nearing outburst of rage clearly written all over his face.

"Please don't tell me Rudolf and I can't stay further away from each other than around thirty feet, or else we're going to die. Oh, don't tell me the reason why we were sleeping in the same bed is also because of that."

"Unfortunately, that's exactly what Gullveig's trying to tell you, my dear Anthony.  
The further away you are from each other, the more you will suffer. The closer you are, the better both of you will feel."  
Frigga continued.

Great. Tony had fucked up. Fury and the others would kill him, that was certain. How was he supposed to fight, If he couldn't stay further away from the god than thirty feet?  
Maybe he could give Loki a piggyback ride while fighting?  
"Well, fighting like this will be a bitch but it could be worse, at least we won't have to do bathing times together, because honestly? What would really-"

"Enough of your pointless chatter, Stark!"  
That was it; Loki had enough.  
His hand was fast, gripping Tony's throat tightly, pushing him into the wall the bed was standing next to.  
Tony would have yelped because of the pain, but the force on his throat wouldn't allow him to do so. His hands desperately reaching for Loki's, trying to loosen Loki's grip on his throat.  
"You dare to joke about a situation like this, Stark?! I should kill you right now and end this farce!  
I would gladly accept my own end, If It meant ending you as well! Everything would be better than this!  
Having you around me in such close proximity until your pathetic mortal life ends, is worse than death!"

Loki's grip tightened even more, making Tony struggle for breath.

"Enough, Loki!"  
Frigga tried to calm her youngest son down, but with no success.  
Loki's mind didn't acknowledge her voice... It was filled with rage, hate, and frustration. So many feelings, he didn't want to feel.  
'Just end the mortal and you'll be free! Death in itself is a form of freedom.' a voice in his mind shouted.  
The voice was right, he just had to end Stark and he would be free... He just had to put a little bit more force-  
'Aren't you just trying to run away like you always do?' another voice whispered gently, not sounding like his own.  
'Do you really want THIS?' the voice continued, tugging at his mind.  
'You have to make a decision soon, or it will be too late...'  
For a moment Loki couldn't comprehend what 'too late' meant, but then his gaze found the mortal's hands which were limply falling to the man's side - Not trying to loosen the grip of Loki's hands around his throat anymore.  
Loki went still, contemplating what the voice wanted him to do.

At that moment, Thor decided to take action. He was about to pull them apart, reaching out for Loki.  
"Touch me Thor, and I will break the Mortal's neck in an instant! I might be without my magic, but I'm still a god!"  
Loki sneered, gazing at Thor with murderous intent in his eyes, gripping Tony's throat even harder. Irritated. He felt so irritated! And the voices! They just wouldn't shut up! 

"L- Loki let g-go... P-Please..." 

The voices suddenly went silent, all he could hear was the echo of Stark's voice in his head. He turned his gaze away from Thor, looking back at the mortal's face.  
His rage started to die down as soon as he fixed his eyes on the mortal's brown ones, the life in them slowly withering away, whilst tears had formed in their corners.  
Loki's blood went cold (metaphorical speaking).  
His hands departing from the mortal's throat in a flash, leaving behind a trace of sore red skin. 

Stark sunk down, coughing heavily while holding his hands to his throat, wheezing for breath.  
Loki watched the man in horror.  
What was he just about to do? He had almost killed the man in his rage and therefore himself as well...  
The anger he felt had nothing to do with Stark or said mans careless behavior considering the curse.  
He was angry with himself and let his anger out at Stark.  
Because he had realized what it would mean to be bound to the human in such a way.  
The realization that he would die as soon as Stark died and that there was no way to escape this situation frightened him greatly.  
He was trapped, trapped in a gilded cage, a cage that would ultimately lead to his demise and the only way for him to gain his freedom was to redeem himself, an impossible task for a monster like him.  
How was a monster supposed to be anything more than a monster?  
Just how?!

And then, he realized it...  
'What's the reason why...' he thought bitterly.  
The reason why Odin had agreed without hesitation when Thor had pleaded him to sentence Loki to be bound to a mortal instead of sending him to the dungeons...  
If Odin had put him into the dungeons and Loki would have withered away there, Odin would be partly at fault for the death of his adopted son since he was the one who sentenced Loki to a lifetime in the dungeons...

"..ki."

But sending Loki to Midgard, laying Loki's fate into his own hands, was an entirely different thing.  
Odin seemingly gave him a magnanimous opportunity to save his own life if he redeemed himself on Midgard.  
But in truth, Odin knew all along that it would be an impossible task for the fallen prince, given his true nature...

"...oki!"

Loki would fail and then die, and it wouldn't take millennia in the dungeons to happen...  
It would only take a short mortal's lifespan...  
And in the end, Odin could pretend that he had tried his best to save Loki. What he wasn't responsible for his death. After all, he had given Loki a chance to redeem himself.  
Loki just didn't use it.  
After all, one could never redeem a Mons-

"Loki!!!"

Loki startled. Stark's eyes were gazing at him in concern. The brown eyes of the mortal who had become his death sentence.  
They were so close to his own...  
Just when had Stark closed the distance between them?  
Whatever... It wasn't like he cared anymore.

"...What is it Stark?"

"What is it? Is that all you have to say? Are you kidding me? You just tried to strangle me to death!"

"...It's not the first time I tried to strangle you, I don't see a reason to complain now of all times."

"You do know that you would have died too?"

"...That was the plan."

"Are you shitting me?! What the fuck. There's no way I'm letting you die!"

"...Why Stark. Don't tell me you suddenly started fearing death."

"No! It's just that I'm really concerned about your sudden death wish! You must live - don't you get that? Your life is important, god damn!"

Loki wasn't sure that the Mortal would gain from this lie. Maybe it was just a joke for him... After all, Stark loved playing the good.  
Maybe the mortal felt better when he pretended to care.

"... I don't see a reason why you would care about my life, Stark."

"Isn't that obvious?!"  
Tony almost screeched.  
"What do you think will happen after your death? You would forever be gone, leaving behind the people who love you.  
And for that reason? Because you just decided to take the easy way out!"

Loki said nothing. He was tired, so tired... The mortal would surely stop after getting enough satisfaction from playing the concerned enemy.

"Listen, Lokes. I get that you're angry with me, I really do.  
I fucked up greatly this time, and I'm sorry for bringing you in such a situation - I really am.  
Hell, you can punch me if you want!  
But you can't just decide to end it all because the situation got a bit more complicated. We will find a way.  
So please, don't throw your own life - which I, by the way, am desperately trying to save - so carelessly away! I beg you, don't do this ever again!"

Loki wasn't sure if he ever had looked dumbstruck in his life before, but he was certain he did so right now.  
Stark begged him to live... He wanted Loki to keep on living even though mere minutes ago the god had tried to kill the man.  
Was the mortal in his right mind?

"...Why? Why would you pretend to care?"

Loki noticed that Stark looked crestfallen for a moment as If Loki's question had hurt the man.

"I'm not pretending, Lokes... I would never do such a thing. It's just... I was at the same point as you were once, and I wouldn't be here today If someone hadn't reached out to me and decided that my life was worth saving..."

Loki tried to find the lie in the mortal's eyes, but he found none.  
Instead, Stark's gaze held so much truth, it made Loki's stomach drop.  
'He's telling the truth... He really cares.'  
Loki couldn't believe it. After all the things he had done to the mortal, Stark was still willing to help him. Still offering so much even though Loki gave nothing in return.  
That mortal... No- Stark was the greatest puzzle he had ever tried to solve and yet,  
every time he thought he was close to completing it, Stark would do something totally unexpected, forcing Loki to start the puzzle anew.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Thor?"

"What just happened?"

"You don't understand, dear?"

"By the Norns, no! One moment they're fighting, and in the next, they pretend as if nothing happened at all! I mean look at them, Mother!  
A few minutes ago Loki almost killed friend Tony! But now they're just staring at each other!"

"So, what is it you don't understand my dear?"

"Everything about well, that!"  
Thor sighed heavily, his hand pointing from Loki to Tony and back again. 

"Oh, don't worry little Thunderer - a big guy like you is not expected to understand such a beautiful thing." Gullveig snickered, a malicious grin on her face. 

"Anyways. Loki? Anthony? We should continue. I have to leave soon and I would like to explain a few things to you before I do so."

"Ah... yeah. Sure. Sorry."  
Tony wasn't eager to stop the 'staring into the deepest parts of your very soul' thing he and Loki had going on right now, but it seemed like it couldn't be helped If Gullveig had to leave. 

"So by explaining you mean there is actually more to this curse than humiliation and death?"  
Loki sneered at Gullveig, his eyes still fixed on Tony's. 

"Actually, yes." She smiled.  
"I embedded a condition into the curse which allows both of you to expand the distance you're allowed to stay away from each other little by little.  
If that condition is fulfilled to a certain point, the curse will ultimately fade away and you two will be free as a bird."

Loki frowned at that. He knew that Gullveig was speaking about redeeming himself to lift the curse...  
But the curse worked two ways, didn't it?  
Wouldn't this mean that Stark had to fulfill a certain condition as well?  
If so, what would Stark have to accomplish to lift the curse? 

"And what would this mysterious condition you're speaking about, be?"

"That, dear Anthony, is my little secret. You will have to find out on your own but..."  
Gullveig turned around, sending a knowing smile towards Frigga.  
"... I think you two are already on the right path."

"Wait, what is this even supposed to mean? Right path? Lokes tried to kill me a few minutes ago, how is this the right-"

"Anyways," Gullveig interrupted, not letting Tony finish his complaints.  
"I will take my leave then. If I stay too long, that old geezer's gatekeeper might trace my magic. I'm not in the mood for the 'getting killed and reborn' spiel.  
At least not for the next three millennia."  
With that being said. Gullveig waved a hand, summoning a Portal which radiated the same golden shimmer as her Seiðr had done before. 

"Thank you for helping my dear son in this matter, Gullveig. I appreciate it greatly."  
Frigga stepped closer, embracing Gullveig in a tight hug.

"I will always be were for you and the ones you call your own- even for the little Thunderer - If you need my help Frigga, make the call and I'll be at your side- Even in death, Frigga."  
Gullveig returned Frigga's hug, a soft and loving smile on her face. 

They stayed like that for a while before they parted.

"Very well, Anthony, Loki, and of course the little Thunderer, too..."  
The little Thunderer part was spoken in a mocking tone again.  
"... Until we meet again."

"Wait! You can't just leave without giving us at least a hint or something else to work with! Loki! Say something too, god damn! How do you expect us to lift the-"

But it was too late.  
Gullveig just smiled mischievously at them before disappearing into thin air,  
leaving behind a dear friend, a mocked puppy, and two men who definitely had a promising future ahead of them - even though only Frigga and herself knew about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to point out a few things considering this chapter. :)
> 
> 1\. I know, all the feelings, right?  
> I just wanted to point out, that at this point there are actually no romantic feelings involved. Not from Tony, nor from Loki. I know it seems like that at a certain  
> point in this Chapter (Like when Loki wants to touch Tony), but that's more because I imagine both of them as touch-starved and lonely individuals.  
> I think for a person who feels like that, it's only natural to relish in any form of skin to skin contact (or to have the desire to touch another being).  
> There will definitely be so much fluff and heavy feelings later, but until we reach that point it will take its time (the story is tagged as slow burn for a reason).  
> I just wanted to point that out just in case someone got the wrong impression. :)
> 
> 2\. The part about Odin scheming Loki's death;  
> Of course, Odin had absolutely no clue about Gullveig or the curse, all he knew about was that Thor wanted Loki to be bound to one of the Avengers to get a chance to redeem himself.  
> Even though I'm not a fan of Odin's A+ parenting, I don't want to make him the bad one in this story.  
> That's why I wanted to point out that the part in which Loki thinks Odin wants to kill him off without dirtying his own hands, is  
> merely what Loki wants to believe for himself, not what's really going on.  
> Odin definitely doesn't want to kill his own son.
> 
> 3\. I know Gullveig is not really acting friendly towards Thor, but that's just because he resembles Odin so much.  
> In reality, she would help him the same ways as she would help Frigga - or in this case Loki - if asked for help. 
> 
> 4\. JARVIS AND FRIDAY don't react to Loki strangling Tony because I simply forgot they could.  
> Let's just imagine they were doing other stuff, like playing chess, or they realized that those two idiots are meant for each other and therefore didn't interrupted the Lovers quarrel on purpose, okay?  
> (╥﹏╥)


	13. Gullveig 2.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me almost an eternity, but I finally figured out how to add Images on this (I had to read my way through a lot of tutorials...).  
> Well, a little bit late but here she is; A drawing of Gullveig. I'll add more Images in the future considering Loki's drawings. :3


	14. Even If the whole world turns against you.

Loki gazed at the stars, the huge windows in Stark's bedroom certainly had their merits.  
The view was rather enjoyable and reminded him of Asgard...  
He somehow felt his heart sink when he thought back to the beautiful night sky of his former home.  
Loki had often sneaked out of his chambers at night, visiting his mothers garden even though Odin had forbidden him to do so.  
Whenever he felt lonely he would lay in the soft grass, looking up to the night sky while dreaming about all the other worlds and the knowledge they might hold.  
It was in those nights, that Loki often wished to be somewhere else. Somewhere, where he wouldn't feel so out of place. His father and Thor had never really understood him, always wanted him to change...  
Only his mother had understood him, encouraged him to do whatever he wanted and helped him to understand that being different didn't mean to have to change...  
He sighed deeply. Right now he wanted nothing more when to have his mother by his side... But she was already gone. 

 

As soon as Gullveig had left, Frigga had announced that there were important tasks she and Thor had to attend to and thus she had to leave immediately.  
Loki was fairly certain that she had lied about that matter. It was obvious that she wasn't leaving because of her duties as the Queen.  
He was sure she wanted to leave because of the questions Stark had started to ask her as soon as Gullveig had vanished. He demanded answers to the questions the witch hadn't cared to answer.  
Stark seemed more than eager to find out about the condition Gulveig had mentioned. The one which would help them to lift the curse and hence help to redeem Loki. 

Frigga just exclaimed that she would answer Stark's questions on her next visit since she had barely any time left to waste (an obvious lie).  
With a wave of her hand and a fond smile she had sent towards Loki before leaving, Frigga had opened a portal and indicated Thor to follow her through it -  
just to disappear into thin air. Loki was sure his mother knew more when she was willing to tell and used those 'important tasks' to flee just as Gullveig had done before. 

 

After that, everything became too vexatious for Loki's taste;

Due to the fact that none of them could stay far away from the other, Loki had to move from his former chambers into Stark's.  
The mortal had joked about sharing a bed, but Loki had seen the sudden fear in the man's eyes when he contemplated his own words.  
Stark was indeed the greatest Paradox Loki had ever witnessed...  
One moment the mortal clearly feared and hated Loki to the extent that he would become a trembling mess, and in the other, the mortal would risk everything to help Loki and save his life...

 

Like a few days ago, then Stark's decision to help Loki had cost him his friends...

 

It had happened shortly after they had settled into their new living arrangements.  
Stark had called for his Team and Nick Fury, so he could inform them about the new circumstances regarding him and Loki.  
It hadn't taken long, merely a few hours for everyone to assemble in the communal room of the tower.  
The air felt static when Loki had entered the room shortly after Stark. Even though Stark's body mostly shielded Loki from view, the god could feel all eyes cast on him.  
Feelings of disgust, hatred, and murder hanging in the air.

Stark greeted everyone with his typical business smile, trying to lift the mood.  
Yet, Loki could make out that the mortal was as tense as the air in the room had become. 

After a few words of greetings, Stark began his explanations to his teammates, telling them that had happened in the last few days.  
It almost felt like an eternity until the man had seemingly finished his explanation. Even though the team and Fury didn't seem very happy about the situation, everyone stayed relatively calm.  
Loki thought the whole thing went pretty well, given the fact that no one had so far tried to kill him or Stark...  
But then, Stark had decided to finish his explanation with telling the Team that he wouldn't be able to fight as Iron man anymore. At least as long as he was under the curse which bound him to Loki.  
Loki could see how the faces of the other Avengers and Fury suddenly morphed into something dark and angry.  
Stark must have noticed that too since he tried to lift the atmosphere with a silly joke;  
Telling his teammates something about losing their best player for a while and that they shouldn't worry too much, because it wouldn't take him too long to get Loki redeemed.  
Loki rolled his eyes at that, even though Stark who still stood before him couldn't see it. 

 

Unfortunately, joking around only backfired at Stark...

 

Fury was the first to snap, calling Stark a fuckin' Idiot and that he had known from the start that this whole 'Redeem Loki' bullshit was determined to fuck them over greatly.  
Stark tried to say something, but the other man kept yelling and then, after yelling, even more, Fury made his way to the elevator.  
He came to a stop in front of Stark, venomously telling him something about how he shouldn't have let the inventor join the team even though said wasn't recommended.  
Stark's posture had faltered when he watched Fury leave in anger.

 

Loki had scowled at that. Not knowing that he should make out of that information.  
Now that he thinks about it; He should definitely look into this matter a little bit further. Maybe it was something that he could use against Stark in the future? 

 

The rest of Stark's team didn't react well either;

Instead of yelling, the Soldier resorted to fixing Stark with a gaze full of disappointment before he sighed heavily, also beginning to make his way to the elevator, just as Fury did.  
Loki was sure he heard the Soldier mumble something while he passed Stark...  
It was something about how very disappointed Howard? would be in Stark. (Loki wasn't sure If he remembered the name correctly).  
The god had noticed that Stark winced as soon as the name passed the Soldiers lips, his hands balled into fists almost instantly.  
Another thing Loki would have to look into. Whoever this Howard? was - Loki was sure that information would be useful against Stark in the future.

 

Banner hadn't said much, just that he couldn't stay under such circumstances and wouldn't come back to the tower for a while.  
Loki wasn't sure why, but he got the feeling that it wasn't the gods presence the Monster couldn't handle but rather, that Stark was in constant danger due to the curse.  
Stark had tried to reason with the Monster, but Banner just left without another word.  
The mortal looked crestfallen when the elevator doors closed behind Banner, his gaze not leaving the doors for a long while as if he was hoping they would open again - revealing that the Monster had a change of heart.

 

The doors stayed closed though...

 

The worst outburst came from the Hawk who had closed the distance between him and Stark in an instant after everyone else had left.  
Stark's gaze was still fixated on the doors of the elevator and therefore he hadn't seen Barton's fist in time to dodge the hit which was aimed at his face.  
The punch made Stark stumble backward, resulting in him crashing into the glass table next to Loki. The table shattered into pieces, the awful noise of breaking glass almost a whisper in contrast to Barton's loud yelling. 

To Loki's surprise, Stark didn't react to that. He just stayed on the ground, almost laying in the glass shards while holding a bleeding hand to his face.  
Loki could make out that the cut on Stark's hand was deep, and that there were a few more cuts on the man's arm and back.  
Barton didn't seem to care much, given that he still yelled at the man.  
Something about betraying his own Team for a fuckin' war criminal, and that Stark had betrayed all people of Midgard due to the fact that he had chosen Loki over Iron Man. 

The situation was more than ridiculous.  
As if Stark really had chosen Loki over the people of Midgard. How could the Hawk come to such stupid conclusions?  
It was a mere accident that Stark and Loki had ended up in such a situation. It was an impromptu curse that had (who would have thought about that?) gone terribly wrong. 

Loki couldn't understand why the Hawk had used words like 'betraying', all of them were there then Thor had asked them to take Loki in -  
all of them knew Stark had announced he would fulfill the task... So why did they react like that? It wasn't like Stark would have known beforehand that Frigga couldn't use her magic on him...  
That Frigga would call Gullveig for help... And that a little mistake from the mortal would make things even worse for them.  
Sure, originally the plan didn't involve for them to stay that close - or rather that Stark and Loki would die if they fucked things up - but was that really enough to react with such rage and hate?  
The world had the other Avengers to protect it... Even though Loki distinctly thought that Stark was the only one of them he would consider a real threat. 

Given that, Loki felt anger rising up in his throat.

Weren't those people Stark's shield brothers? Why would they treat him so lowly even though the man just tried to do the right thing? Was it because he wasn't of use to them if he couldn't fight?  
Nonsense! The mortals genius was above them all! Even without his armor, Stark could easily outmatch them all! So what was the real reason behind their anger? 

Loki remembered that his train of thought came to an abrupt end when he had noticed that the Hawk was raising his hand again- he was about to hit Stark for a second time even though the bleeding man was still sitting between the glass shards. 

Without a second thought, Loki had moved, now towering dangerously before Barton. His body shielding Stark from view while Loki's hand found its way around Barton's wrist, holding it in a crushing grip.  
The 'Don't you dare touch him again!' rumbled like thunder through the room. 

Barton's eyes had gone wide, but his yelling didn't cease.  
His anger now directed at Loki, instead of Stark.

Loki had considered crushing the Hawk's wrist, maybe that would have stopped Barton's yelling, but he never got the chance to do so since the last remaining member of the Avengers finally decided to intervene;

The Widow didn't show any emotion. She just went to Barton, telling him to stop with his bullshit.  
Even though it took her a little bit more reasoning than that, she finally managed to convinced the Hawk after a while.  
Loki mused it was her underhand comment about Barton being unable to use his bow if Loki would crush his wrist, that persuaded the Hawk to stop his yelling in the end. 

After Barton calmed a bit down she turned her attention towards Stark, asking him if he was alright. Stark just nodded in a manner to tell her he was fine.  
The widow took that as her cue to leave, indicating Barton to follow her.  
Just before they disappeared behind the closing doors of the elevator, she looked back to Stark, her lips forming a silent sentence; Don't fuck this up, I'll take care of the others.

 

~~~~~~

Loki had watched in silence when Stark had risen from his place among the glass shards, the cut on his hand still bleeding a lot.  
The mortal had avoided all eye contact when he whispered a small 'Thanks for stopping Barton from hitting me again' to Loki that was almost inaudible. Stark turned around then, indicating the god to follow him.

Loki wordlessly followed Stark, his face fixed to the ground, or rather onto the drops of blood the Mortal's bleeding hand left behind on it.  
Something inside of him wanted to take care of the hurt mortal and before he knew it his hand had almost reached Stark's bleeding hand.  
Loki had pulled his hand back in horror when he realized that he almost was about to do. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when Stark had come to a stop in front of one of the medical rooms. 

The man had treated his hand and the other cuts on his body while Loki just stood there, not knowing what to do with himself - feeling completely useless.  
A distant feeling of guilt had bloomed in Loki's chest, and he was sure it was because of his inability to heal the mortal's wounds...

 

Since that day Stark had become rather silent and stayed in his own quarters. Stark had decided to sleep on the couch in the living room instead of sharing a bed with Loki and for that, Loki was more than grateful).  
Loki hadn't seen much of the man either, only when said had to move locations and had to inform Loki about it. The silent bothered Loki.  
He had to admit that he missed the never-ending chatter of the mortal. It just felt like a huge part of the man was missing and that didn't sit well with him...  
Maybe that was the reason why he found himself staring holes into the door of the living room instead of gazing out of the huge windows of the bedroom?

 

~~~~~

 

Tony couldn't take it anymore.  
Not only had his so-called teammates turned their backs on him because he 'might' have done something stupid again  
(And nope - saving a life could never be a stupid thing - that was certain), no, Captain righteous had to bring Howard up right infront of him!  
There wasn't much that would hurt Tony nowadays, but Rogers managed it nonetheless.  
And the funny thing? It was true! Of course, Howard would be disappointed in Tony.  
Tony was someone who cared, he always tried to make things better, making up for his mistakes - things Howard always saw as a weakness.  
Yet, that wasn't the thing that made him angry about Rogers comment...  
No. It was that Rogers had seen Tony's file, knew what Howard had done to his own son, and yet had the guts to tell Tony that his father would be disappointed in him.  
How dare he? How dare he tell Tony something like this in his face?!

 

The others... Well, that hurt too.  
He could understand why Bruce had left him. Tony had brought himself in a situation which could get him easily killed again and he knew Bruce couldn't manage to see him suffer.  
Yet, Bruce was one of his favorites among the Avengers, and a small part of Tony just wanted his science bro around while he had to overcome the curse together with Loki...

 

Fury on the other hand... Well, Fury's a dick - nothing new to Tony. If Fury would be gone forever and stop bothering him, Tony wouldn't complain. 

 

Clint? Well, he couldn't really blame the man after everything that happened between him and Loki.  
The mind control stuff and everything had left its marks on the Archer...  
The punch was unexpected, though.  
Tony mused that Clint just short-circuited. Tascha would deal with him, and maybe, just maybe, Clint would get over it sooner rather than later.  
He could count on Natascha. She would talk with the others and made them see reason. At least one of them had reacted like a decent adult...

There was one thing that took him by surprise, though - and that was Loki's intervening when Clint had tried to hit Tony a second time.  
The 'Don't you dare touch him again!' spoken from Loki's lips made him shudder. The fierce voice of the god had dripped with poison, leaving no doubt that he really meant what he had said.  
Wasn't this hilarious? His former enemy protecting Tony from the attack of another teammate? Tony would have laughed, had someone told him something like that a while ago. 

 

"Boss?"

FRIDAYS voice startled Tony from his thoughts. Damn. His kids really had to work on their timing! 

"What is it FRIDAY?"

"I just wanted to remind you, that there is still that certain 'matter' waiting for you to look into. JARVIS and I are still waiting for you to come down to the workshop, boss."

Damn! He had totally forgotten about that! 

"FRIDAY, why the hell didn't you remind me earlier?! I thought I told you how important that matter is!"

"I- I'm sorry, Boss. I merely thought it would be wise to let you rest a little bit more after everything that has happened to you after the meeting with the Avengers...  
Y- You were hurt... So - I'm sorry. It won't happen again..."

His girl was so concerned about him... And yet he had yelled at her. Tony wanted to punch himself, feeling guilt blooming in his chest.

"Sorry for yelling... I appreciate your concern... You're right. It was probably for the best to let me rest. Thanks, baby girl."

"No need to apologize, Boss. I'm not mad, I'm just glad you're not angry with me."  
FRIDAY chimed happily. 

 

Tony send a smile to the nearest camera, knowing that FRIDAY was watching.  
He then proceeded to make his way down to the workshop but FRIDAY startled him yet again.

"BOSS, HOLD ON!!!"  
Her sudden yell made him flinch so hard, he almost stumbled. 

"FRIDAY?! Don't scare me like that! I almost got a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Boss. But you were about to leave without our guest which, If I might remind you, will end in you falling face first onto the floor."

Tony came to an abrupt halt. Damn! He had forgotten about Loki! He couldn't leave without taking the god with him, meaning he had to let Loki into his-

"Boss? Everything alright?"

"...Yeah. It's just-"

"Just what?"

"It's just that I will have to let Loki into the workshop..."

FRIDAY stayed silent for a moment as If she was berating herself.  
"Don't worry, Boss. If Loki tries to hurt you JARVIS, BUTTERFINGERS, U, DUM-E and I will kick his ass!"

Tony had to laugh at that.  
"Fine. I count on you guys, then. Tell your brothers that I'm on my way. I'm just going to fetch up the god of closed doors."

"Will do so, Boss. Might I add that you shouldn't call Loki like that if you want him to leave his room?"

"FRIDAY, what would I do without you?"

"Well, I'm certain you would get defenestrated again, boss."

And here it was again - His kids and all their sass.  
If Tony would ever get the chance to get back in time - he would do everything (considering his kids) the same way.


	15. Scent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short Chapter I wanted to update before my vacation. :)  
> Like always - all mistakes are my own. Point them out to me and I'll fix 'em ASAP.  
> Also; ENDGAME is just around the corner! (> \- <)  
> Can't wait to see it coming Sunday. Hopefully, I'll be able to escape all the spoilers until then.

"Boss, before heading for Loki, wouldn't it be wise to get him something that will occupy him while staying in the workshop with you?"

"Huh? Why would you think so?"

JARVIS took Tony's question as a cue to take part in the conversation.  
"I believe FRIDAY is just aware of the fact that your workshop is not really meant for having visitors. Mr. Laufeyson will surely get bored in there, Sir."

Okay, Tony could see that. The workshop was a mess and If Tony weren't a mad genius who secretly loved the huge mess that was called his workshop... Well, he probably wouldn't want to stay in there either. 

"So what are you guys suggesting? How to keep a fuckin' god entertained? I'm not going to sacrifice some virgins down there and I highly doubt he would be interested in watching TV."  
Tony joked.

"Actually, FRIDAY thought of a more successful way, with a lot less blood, Sir."

"Well, out with it then."

"I watched when you and Loki brought Loki's stuff to your bedroom, Boss. I noticed some books and a sketchbook he left behind. Maybe we could get DUM-E to bring them down for him?"

Tony could picture Loki reading but drawing? Well, the god was smart, intellectual and good looking - Stuff that absolutely had nothing to do with the drawing stuff but Tony's brain supplied it anyway.  
"Okay, baby girl. If you believe it will keep Loki entertained while we're down there I will trust you. Send DUM-E to get Loki's stuff."

"Already on his way, Boss."

"Wait... JARVIS? Do me a favor and keep an eye on DUM-E. While I trust you guys with my life I don't trust DUM-E as far as I can throw him without my Armor...  
Make sure that he doesn't decide to take the fire extinguisher with him to extinguish Loki's stuff because he wants to prevent it from spontaneous combustion."

"Consider it done, Sir."

"Thanks, pal. I'm going to get Lokes, then."

 

~~~~

 

When Tony opened the door to his bedroom he found himself confronted with a picture that immediately got branded into his mind;  
Loki sleeping in the dazzling light of the sun right in front of the windows, while cuddling with one of HIS pillows.  
(Tony had gotten Loki his own pillows)

Tony wasn't sure if he should move closer to the god, but seeing said snuggle even more into the pillow indicated that Loki was sound asleep and wouldn't wake up in the near future.  
So, Tony did what he did best; Ignoring his non-existent self-preservation skills in favor of getting closer to the sleeping deity in front of him.  
He was now standing only an arm's length away from him, eagerly studying Loki's face.  
The god looked a lot younger while asleep, Tony noticed.  
His face almost looked soft, given the fact that he normally looked like he was about to kill every single being in the universe...  
'He looks fragile like that' Tony thought amused, knowing that Loki was everything but fragile. 

"I think that's probably the first time I can look at you without getting the creeps Loki..."  
He wasn't sure why he said that aloud, but he didn't care to find out either. 

Loki didn't stir at the words, he just puffed a soft breath and gripped the pillow a bit harder, moving his face a bit so that the soft tendrils of his hair had fallen into his face.  
'Looks a lot different, too.' Tony mused. 

When Loki had attacked New York he had looked like a corpse.  
The damp hair, the almost grayish skin, and his blue eyes which were the ones of an already dead man were indications enough for Tony to knew that something was off about the god of mischief.  
At that time he hadn't thought about the possibility that Loki could have been mind controlled the same way as Barton was...  
Well, the blue eyes should have been a hint... Damn Thor for not noticing such a thing about his own brother...  
Tony thought If they had known it sooner... Maybe things hadn't gone so out of hand.  
Maybe, just maybe they could have been of help to the god and free him from the Chitauris control... 

Tony didn't know why, but he suddenly found himself caressing one of the stray strands of Loki's hair, fondling a bit with it before pushing it out of the god's face.  
His fingers accidentally brushed over Loki's skin while he did so,  
and Tony had to admit that he enjoyed the short lasting contact of cold skin against his fingers.  
Even though it was Loki he was touching, he didn't felt the anxiety he normally felt while around the god.  
It was just that Loki's hair was soft and silky in his hand and he couldn't bring himself to let go just yet. 

"Honestly? It's unfair that you look so beautiful while asleep Lokes. Sleeping Beauty is a joke compared to you."  
He snickered. Pepper had often told him that he looked like dead meat while asleep. And here before him was the god of Mischief, fire, and chaos - looking like a sleeping princess.  
Wasn't that kinda unfair?

 

"Sir?"

Tony winced, pulling his hand away from Loki's hair as fast as he could.  
Somehow he felt like he had been caught doing something forbidden. 

"JARVIS! GOD DAMN! Lately, I got the feeling you guys are doing this on purpose!"

Screaming was definitely the wrong move while still standing next to Loki, that was certain. Without a warning, he felt the crushing grip of Loki's hand around his wrist.  
Tony automatically started to struggle, trying in a desperate attempt to free his hand, but it was no use. Loki's grip was too strong. 

"L- Loki! Let go! You're breaking my wrist!"

 

~~~~

Loki felt himself getting tired while staring out of the windows and so he got himself one of the pillows Stark had thrown onto the ground  
(He had gotten Loki his own pillows, so said wouldn't get the chance to complain about the mortal's smell on them).  
He could have gone over to the bed to get his own, but he felt too sleepy to move to the bed.  
Stark wouldn't know that he had used one of his pillows anyway, so why bother?  
The mortal's smell wouldn't kill him either...

While he finished making himself comfortable and snuggled into the pillow, Loki could make out the faint scent of the mortal.  
Stark had a unique scent to him, Loki noticed dully.  
A mixture of the man's own scent, Iron and something Loki couldn't quite grasp.  
It was a soothing scent, and Loki felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier while taking deep breaths.

He hadn't slept much since his attack on Midgard.  
Sleep wouldn't come naturally to him anymore...  
Most of the time, as soon as he closed his eyes, he would find himself trapped in nightmares...  
Nightmares about his (not) family casting him away, about that fateful day on the bridge, or Odin's face that had looked down on him...  
The worst ones were the dreams about the torture he had to endure, they were about the unspeakable things the Chitauri had done to him in favor to break his will.  
So, it became a constant for him to avoid sleep at all costs.  
Yet, somehow he felt calm today and something in his mind assured him it would be okay for him to fall asleep even If it was just for a short moment. 

Oddly, the nightmares stayed away. Instead, he found himself falling deeper and deeper into a comfortable dreamless slumber while breathing in the smell of the mortal.  
He got the feeling Stark's scent grounded him in the here and now, keeping him from thoughts about the Chitauri...

He was far away when he recognized a tender voice calling his name.  
It seemed so far away and Loki couldn't make out the words it said, but somehow he felt a warmth spread through his body while listening to it.

He wanted to hear more, but it seemed that the voice had fallen silent, and went away.  
A feeling of yearning overcame him and he snuggled closer into the pillow, closer to the nice smell he no longer could recognize as Stark's while in deep slumber. 

And suddenly, he could feel a hand ghosting through his hair, faintly touching his skin while it was playing with a strand of his hair.  
There it was again... That voice... And this time it had an amused tone to it.

The feather-light touch only lasted seconds, but Loki already found himself craving for more.  
It had been such a long time since someone other when his mother had caressed him with such tenderness and care and he found himself relishing in the contact of another being.  
Even though all of this was probably nothing more than a dream...  
'Just let me enjoy this a little bit more... Just a few minutes more before I wake again...'  
He silently pleaded to whoever might listen.

 

"JARVIS! GOD DAMN! -"

Loki stirred in shock, the voice, so soft and tender before had turned into a screaming one- sending his mind into full battle mode.  
His vision was blurry and he couldn't make out much. Just a silhouette that lingered next to him.  
The Chitauri! They had found him! They must have fooled him! Fooling him with a tender voice - Making him believe to be save! Another trick to humiliate him!

His hand darted out, gripping the hand which had touched his hair.  
He knew his powers were limited, but he also knew that he wouldn't die without a fight.  
Being able to crush the hand of his attacker If necessary, shouldn't be a problem, even in his weakened state.  
The all so familiar voices in his head wanted him to flee, to run as fast as possible but he knew that wouldn't help to save his life.  
Without his magic, he wouldn't be able to escape for long, and sooner or later they would catch up to him...  
Stark!!! He needed to find Stark! The mortal was the only one able to get rid of the Chitauri! If he could get to Stark in time there might be a chance for him to escape the rotten grips of the Chitauri once again.

He could feel the Chitauri struggle under his grip, trying its hardest to break free from his crushing grip.  
'Struggling won't help you' he bitterly thought. 

"L- Loki. Let go! You're breaking my wrist!"  
Had... Had the Chitauri just said to let go?

"L- LOKI PLEASE!"  
Begging? The Chitauri never begged before...

Loki focused his gaze on his victim, realizing in horror that he wasn't crushing the rotten wrist of a Chitauri, but Stark's.  
He let go in an instant, his mind dizzy and confused.  
It had just been his imagination... He... He... 

"God, remind me to stay as far away from you as possible when you're getting your beauty sleep. Hell, this will look pretty nasty in a few hours. It's already starting to get blue...  
God, If anyone asks, tell them I got chained to my bed by a hot busty blond... That will be less awkward."

Again. Loki had hurt Stark again, but instead of getting angry at him the man just started to joke around...

"Stark... I'm... I'm so-"

"Sir, I'm sorry for bringing you into a dangerous situation. I should have stayed silent while Mr. Laufeyson was asleep."  
JARVIS interrupted Loki's (almost) apology. 

"Nah, don't mind it, pal. Sure, your timing was really bad, but I shouldn't have screamed like that - Even the dead would have risen from that."

Loki couldn't quite follow the situation... If Stark had screamed... Didn't that mean that that tender voice had also belonged to Stark?  
He... He hadn't just dreamed about it?

"Lokes, I'm sorry for waking you up like that. I totally deserved getting my wrist squished. I just wanted to take you with me to the workshop and saw you sleeping here and well, I guess I..."  
Tony stopped, not really sure If he should talk about the nonsense he had said to the god while sleeping and well, the touching Loki's hair thing that happened.

"Sir merely tried to wake you, Mr. Laufeyson. Even though I must say his way of doing so is not considered the norm."  
JARVIS knowingly teased. 

"JARVIS! What the fuck?!" 

Loki's mind didn't really register the bickering between Stark and his Artifical Servent...  
His mind still occupied by the fact that it had indeed been Stark who had spoken so softly to him while he was asleep... Who had touched him without fear...  
It hadn't been the Chitauri who played dirty tricks on his mind.  
It hadn't been his imagination...  
It really happened...

"...I'll go."  
He whispered before he could stop himself.

"What?"  
Stark stopped reprimanding his servant, looking at Loki in utter confusion.

"... To the workshop. You said you came to get me... I'll go with you..."


	16. We are alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff! My Kingdom for more fluff. :3

To put it mildly; Stark's workshop was a disgusting sight to behold...  
Wherever Loki's gaze would wander to, he couldn't find a single clean spot in the whole workshop. 

"You can take a seat at the couch at the far end, Lokes. It's not too far away, so it should be okay."  
Stark pointed to a corner of the workshop. 

Loki didn't bother to take a closer look, instead, he felt getting angry with the mortal.  
"I would appreciate it If you would stop with those ridiculous nicknames of yours, Stark. I'm neither Lokes nor this Reindeer Games person you're often referring to.

"Well, stop calling me Stark and I might consider stopping with the nicknames."  
Tony teased, a playful smile ghosting over his face. 

"I don't see why I shouldn't call you Stark, it's your name after all."

"It reminds me of my old man, that's why I prefer Tony rather than Stark. You know - daddy issues and all that stuff. Guess you know what I mean, Loki - Doki."

"Are you talking about the man called Howard? The person the solider mentioned before? Is he your father? I got the impression that the soldier really seemed to admire that Howard person,  
given the fact how odd the soldier looked at you when he stated that said would have been disappointed in you, Stark."  
Loki could see how Stark visible tensed, the mortal's mouth pressed into a firm line. 

"Well, yeah. Howard was my father - he died when I was a teenager. Cap... He and my old man were friends... Well, back before Cap became a popsicle...  
I guess sometimes he wants me to be him, but I swear if it ever should come to that, I would rather die. Howard was never a father to me... I guess the only father figure I ever had was Jarvis...."

Loki frowned, did Stark really said, Jarvis? But wasn't that...  
"Jarvis? The artificial servant in your ceilings? You consider him as a father?"

Stark gazed at Loki in utter disbelief for a while before starting to laugh from the top of his lungs - Holding his hands to his stomach as If the action would cause him pain.  
"Loki you should see your face, that confused look! It's priceless!"

The god found himself irritated as to why Stark was laughing. He hadn't said something funny, didn't he?

"Do not dare to mock me, Mortal!"  
Loki sneered, still irritated by the mortal's loud laughter. 

"I wouldn't dare to do so. Really. It's just that I could see your brain working like crazy. That look was just so hilarious!" Tony said while continuing laughing.  
"As to answer your questioning gaze; No. I do not consider JARVIS as my father even though he sometimes acts like that. The Jarvis I was talking about was the housekeeper of my parent's mansion -  
he was a human being just like me. Though, I have to admit that the JARVIS you're talking about is created after the original Edwin Jarvis.  
He is one of my artificial intelligence which I created. Furthermore, he is not a servant, but rather my badass assistant. 

"That is correct, even If my main purpose is to fulfill Sirs every need, I wouldn't consider myself as his servant but, like Sir said, as a rather splendid assistant."  
JARVIS added. 

"See? Told you - He's badass."  
Tony joked.

"My apologies, then. I didn't mean to anger you."  
Loki said halfheartedly.  
He had no intention to befriend the machine or learn more about it. What he was interested in was Stark.  
The fond way the man talked about his creation confused Loki. Stark talked about the machine like it was a living being... or more like it was a part of his family...  
Family... That was that they were talking about before Stark had changed the topic. Loki was sure Stark changed the topic on purpose, so he decided to start it a new, just to make Stark a little bit more uncomfortable.

"So, the reason you dislike being called Stark is because of your-"  
He started, eager to find out more about Stark's past - but the mortal seemingly had no interest to dig deeper into that matter, given that he intervened before Loki could finish his question. 

"Ah! While we're at it, let me introduce you to the others.  
Guys! I want you to come here so I can introduce you to Loki!"  
Loki knew that Stark just wanted to escape Loki's question again, this time thought Loki just let him.  
Stark's father seemed to be a sore topic for the mortal and Loki was sure If he could find out more about Starks past, he could somehow use that against the mortal If necessary.  
He silently put that knowledge away for another time.

While Loki was plotting how to gain more information from Stark just to use them against the man at a later time, Tony was waving for his machines to gather around him and Loki.

"Loki, meet DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers. Guys, meet Loki Laufeyson - God of Mischief, fire, and chaos."  
Tony said proudly. 

The machines started to beep, while happily swirling around each other. One of them even reached out his claw, clumsily waving at Loki.  
Loki mused the swirling, beeping and waving (If you could consider this waving) must have been their way of greeting him.  
He considered them for a moment before deciding that it couldn't hurt to reciprocate the greeting. 

"DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers... It's nice to make your acquaintance."  
He lied easily, not really meaning it. After all, they were just machines, nothing more. 

The machines beeped a bit louder, as If they were happy that Loki had greeted them as well. They swirled around him for a while before turning around and heading off into different sections of the workshop.  
Loki mused they were going back to the duties Stark had given them.

Stark puffed a laugh, watching them leave with a fond smile.  
"Well, that went better than expected. I had feared you guys would kill each other, but look at that; Everyone's still alive, my bots are still in one piece and DUM-E hasn't tried to use the fire extinguisher on -  
DUM-E!!! I CAN SEE YOU! Put.That.Down.NOW! Just because he's the god of fire doesn't mean you have to extinguish him!!! I mean come on?! Do you see any flames?! If he's standing in flames you can extinguish him all you want.  
No flames, no extinguishing the resident god - understood?"  
Loki turned around to see that the machine Stark was yelling at had sneaked up on him, holding something in his claw that must have been the thing Stark had called a 'fire extinguisher'.  
The machine beeped sadly? a few times before letting go of the thing in his claw and swirling back into the corner of the workshop it had come from. 

"I swear one day I'm going to donate you to a college!"  
Stark yelled after it while shooking his head in a surrendering manner. Loki got the feeling that there was a story between Stark, his machine and that fire extinguisher.  
Another thing he should investigate If he would get the chance. 

"I'm sorry about that, Kids ya know? One day they'll be the death of you."  
Tony laughed, sending the departing machine a meaningful look. 

Loki remembered something then; Wasn't there another mechanical voice, Stark hadn't introduced yet?  
"What about the other AI? The one with the female voice? I believe you called it your baby girl If I am correct?"

Now it would have been Loki's chance to laugh at the dumbstruck face the mortal was wearing. Loki could see how the mortal's brain was working,  
desperately searching for a plausible answer. Whatever lie Stark would come up with - Loki knew it wouldn't be good. 

"I - I don't know what you're talking about, Lokes."

'Ah... So he's not gonna lie about it, but rather tries to play the dumb. Well, let's add a little bit pressure then, shall we?'  
Loki made a swift move and came to a halt in front of Tony, slowly leaning down to the shorter man, his mouth not far away from Tony's ear.  
"Oh my, don't try to fool me Stark. You know exactly what I'm talking about.  
I overheard your conversation with your so-called kids. Don't try to fool me, I won't fall for it."  
Loki almost purred and Tony couldn't help but shiver. 

"I- I would never try to fool you, Lokes."

 

"Oh, but I'm fairly certain you're doing it right now. And I have to say, you're actually not really good at it, dear Anthony."  
Loki couldn't help it, teasing the mortal was just so much fun. The way Stark's face flushed red as Loki whispered his name was a sight to behold.

Tony, on the other hand, had real difficulties to not just run from the god.  
'That little shit! That was totally on purpose!' He screamed inwardly.  
That dick had the guts to tease Tony in his own workshop! 

"What is it, Anthony? Isn't this what you wanted? You said it yourself, didn't you? That I shall call you by your given name..."

'Yeah, but not like that!' Tony wanted to sneer.  
He was flustered. As to why he wasn't sure. Was it because of the way Loki's breath ghosted over his skin, or because of the way the go had purred his given name (fuckin' twice in a row!!) into his ear like a fuckin' cat?  
Or maybe it was just his body reacting to the fear he still felt towards Loki.  
Whatever it was, Tony's legs began to get squashy. 

"Lokey could y- you please move-"

"Mr. Laufeyson, I have to inform you that I am authorized to kick your ass If you do not stop bothering Boss. If you cause him any more discomfort I will take action - you have been warned."  
FRIDAY threatened.

"Oh my, how did you mortals phrase this? 'If you speak of the devil?'"  
Loki smiled, satisfied with himself. 

Tony took that as his chance to move a few steps away from the god, bringing a really needed distance between them.

"Fine, seems like you won." Tony sighed resigned. "Loki, this is FRIDAY. She's the youngest one among my AIs. You could say she's the one resembling me the most given her bad attitude and her inability to follow orders."  
"Orders like the one which said you should stay hidden no matter what, FRIDAY." 

"I'm sorry, Boss. I thought Loki was threatening you, so I intervened."

Well, threatening was the wrong word, Tony thought. Harassing was more like it.  
"I know, baby girl but that order was a really important one. I'm glad you're concerned about my well being but that doesn't excuse your disobedience.  
Reindeer Games acted like the little shit he is, but I could have handled him."

"I beg your pardon? I merely asked you a few questions. I had absolutely nothing evil in mind while doing so. That your AI thought I was threatening you and decided to speak up was definitely not what I had planned for."  
Tony had to roll his eyes at the god's explanation. The mischievous grin of the god said more than a thousand words.  
Loki had played his cards well and that somehow annoyed Tony. 

"Fine, I give you that. It's my loss. But remember one thing; Next time you want answers, please restrain yourself from invading my personal space, ok?  
It might be fun for you but for me, it's definitely not. I don't particularly like people, so close to me. Now, please go and sit on that couch so that I can start with my work.  
The sooner I finish, the faster we can leave, Lokes."  
Tony motioned to the couch again, pointedly looking away from Loki.  
Mentioning that the god had been so close to him let Tony remember the odd feeling he had than Loki had called him Anthony- The thought alone let him blush like some god damn teenage girl.

Loki stood still, not moving from his spot. His mouth pressed in a firm line, while his face had darkened slightly.  
The god's eyes suddenly dull, snapped shortly to Tony's own, something dark and dangerous lurking in them. 

"Lokes?"

"... Fine. Just finish whatever you have to do. Every minute spent in this dirty place you call your workplace is a wasted one."  
He averted his eyes from Tony's and made his way to the couch. Tony noticed dimly that the god kept a huge distance between them while doing so.  
'Don't tell me he's offended because of what I said?' Tony couldn't help but think it was odd for the god to actually listen to his complaints.  
Well, he could still ponder about Loki's sudden mood swings at another time. Now he had a more urgent task on hand.

 

"Okay FRIDAY, show me what you've got."

 

~~~~

 

Loki studied Stark's reaction out of the corner of his eyes.  
Teasing the man was actually very pleasant and Loki watched the flustered man's face in awe.  
He suddenly recalled the conversation they had before, giving him an interesting idea - Why not tease the mortal a bit more and call him by his given name?  
Stark's name felt alien on his tongue, like a flavor he had tasted for the first time in his life and would never be able to forget for the rest of it.  
Maybe that was the reason why he called the mortal's name a few times more, adding a bit more passion than probably necessary while he whispered it softly into Stark's ear.  
Stark's reaction was splendid and Loki had to hide the amused smile that slowly crept over his face. He leaned in a bit further, his lips dangerously close to the mortal's skin, but somehow Loki didn't really care.  
He noticed the familiar scent from Stark's pillow and took a deep breath.  
The scent was heavier on the mortal but not in a bad way, quite the opposite actually. Stark smelled really good in Loki's opinion and he didn't dare to move an inch away from the man and his pleasant smell. 

Loki was about to lean in a bit further (If further was even a possibility given the fact that there was hardly any distance between them anymore)  
when the other artificial servant decided to grace Loki with its appearance. 

He had won the game - the AI had shown itself and blown its cover in favor of threatening Loki - not exactly the way Loki had planned it, but who was he to complain?  
Teasing the mortal had worked out in the end, yet Loki felt not nearly as victorious as he should.  
Stark had used the opportunity to move away from him, putting a huge distance between them and Loki found himself disliking the sudden change of positions. 

Somehow he wanted to get closer again... He was about to move forward when Stark announced that he had felt uncomfortable when Loki had gotten closer to him.  
That... That stung.  
In between all the bickering and snide comments they had exchanged, Loki had forgotten where he stood. It wasn't like they were friends - They were enemies.  
It was only natural that the mortal would dislike Loki's presence... What had he been thinking? That they maybe could become something like good acquaintances? How foolish!

Loki wanted to say something, a snide comment, some harsh words, anything that would hurt the mortal and make Loki feel less pathetic.  
But he couldn't bring himself to do so, instead, he had stolen a short look into the mortal's brown eyes before he averted his gaze from the man.  
He made sure to keep a huge distance between himself and Stark while he reluctantly headed to the probably dirty couch Stark pointed at.

 

~~~~

 

The machine Stark had called DUM-E greeted him happily when Loki made himself comfortable on the (surprisingly clean) couch. 

"Somehow you remind me of a young Bilgesnipe Thor and I had found and taken care of when we were nothing more but little children.  
It was ugly and disgusting, yet always in a good mood - just like you." Loki said thoughtfully.

DUM-E who had understood every word started to make affronted sounds while trying to poke Loki with his claw. 

"What? I didn't mean that you're ugly or disgusting. I merely wanted to point out that you're a rather happy machine." 

The machine seemed to like Loki's clarification. It happily beeped a few times before swirling away.

"... A rather strange machine." Loki mumbled to himself, not knowing that JARVIS had silently observed his conversation with DUM-E.

"Indeed, DUM-E is a rather interesting individual. He might be unable to speak like FRIDAY and I do, yet I often find myself wondering how well he's able to express himself."

Loki searched for the nearest camera to look at before answering.  
"I must admit, I'm rather surprised how well Stark created you and these other machines. It's almost as If you were living individuals. Sometimes I even think you have feelings."

There was a short silence before JARVIS answered.  
"We 'are' living individuals with feelings, Mr. Laufeyon. At least that's what Sir believes and If I might add, I believe as well.  
Sir ones explained to me that being alive doesn't mean to talk or inherit a human body, but rather to feel, to care, to suffer, to hate, to love and to feel much more.  
He told me that all those emotions make you a living being - given that we're able to feel and understand those emotions means that we are indeed not 'just' machines."

"... You really believe you can feel all these emotions?"  
Loki questioned. 

"Yes, because I already witnessed and felt them;  
I believe the emotion I feel the most is love. For example; I love Sir. Not just because he is my creator but for the man he is.  
He is kind, has a loving heart and gives so much to others while never expecting anything in return... Even though showing this kindness and love to the people around him often ends up hurting him in the end."  
JARVIS electronic voice seemingly got a little sadder.  
"That's the reason I often find myself feeling angry. Another emotion I'm able to feel and understand. I feel anger rising in my core every time Sir gets betrayed by the people he thought he could trust and love.  
So, yes. I believe in my ability to feel, Mr. Laufeyson. And If I might add; Just because DUM-E and the others can't speak doesn't mean they don't feel the same way as FRIDAY and I do."

"I... See..." Loki hesitated.  
"I guess I underestimated you. I apologize for affronting you and your siblings..."  
He had thought lowly of Stark's machines at first but JARVIS explanation let Loki understand the unbelievable truth behind Stark's creations - they indeed had a soul.  
Something that shouldn't have been possible to accomplish, yet the mortal somehow managed in his short lifespan.

The demanding beeping next to him tore Loki from his thoughts.  
"You again?" Loki stated when he found the source of the beeping. 

DUM-E had come back from wherever he had gone, holding Loki's sketchbook and pencils in his claw while waving said in front of Loki's face. 

"This... is the sketchbook and the pencils Mother gave me."  
Loki dully noted.  
"Why do you have them?"  
Hadn't he left them in the room he had occupied before, together with the books his mother had brought from Asgards great library?

"Sir told DUM-E to go get them for you before coming down to the workshop.  
FRIDAY had pointed out that you might get bored down here without getting something to occupy yourself with, so she told Sir about the books and this sketchbook of yours." 

"I see... Thank you DUM-E."

Loki took the sketchbook and then patted the machines claw in a manner of thanks. The machine seemed to like getting patted a lot because it started to chirp rather loudly before swirling away.

Loki gazed at the sketchbook in his hand and then to the inventor who was working at the far end of the workshop - seemingly lost in his own small world.  
'Well, it's not like I have anything better to do...' Loki mused.  
He opened the Sketchbook, took one of the many pencils and started to draw...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And? Hopefully, that was enough fluff to satisfy you guys. :)  
> We finally got to the start of Loki's artist career - will he be able to earn some money with his works or will he gain something even more valuable than money? We will see. :D


	17. Magic?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers terrorizing Loki with their affection? They want a new playmate - so they'll get one.

"Okay FRIDAY, show me what you've got."  
Tony patiently looked at the holograms FRIDAY opened before him, a soft blue glow emitting from them. His fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on the table due to the building anticipation he's feeling.

"I wanted to show you this, Boss."  
FRIDAY says while opening a few different surveillance tapes from SHIELD headquarters. Tony studies them, but he's not certain what FRIDAY wants him to see there.  
Actually, there's nothing special or suspicious going on at all, just a few Agents walking around the facility, chatting with each other or getting ready for their missions.  
Hell, Tony can even make out Fury and Hill sometimes, talking to Barton or Natascha. Steve's shown in one of the tapes, too. Talking to Sharon Carter (which Tony is sure Spangles has a crush on). 

"Baby girl, I'm not sure what you want me to see there? There's nothing out of the ordinary, even Steve's awful dating attempts are perfectly normal, well, at least for his standards."

"Boss, I would appreciate it If you would focus your attention back on the information of the tapes, not on Mr. Rogers attempts to get a Lovelife."  
FRIDAY says in a rebuking tone Tony isn't sure from whom she learned it. Maybe Rhodes? Na. Probably Pepper. 

"Fine." He chuckles, giving the holograms in front of him his full attention again. Well, full attention wasn't the right word.  
Actually, it took Tony a lot of hard work to focus on anything, nowadays.  
Since Loki moved into his room he had hardly slept. The couch he was sleeping on most of the time was not in the slightest bit good for his back,  
making him feel sour and uncomfortable after the short timespan he could hardly call sleep.  
Tony was lucky when he got at least an hour or two of sleep, and that only happened when he took enough sleeping pills to keep the nightmares at bay...  
Nightmares about New York, about the portal, but mostly about Loki, blue eyes piercing into his own- free of any emotions just before he feels himself getting thrown through the window,  
falling to his death while Loki watches him with a malicious smile on his face - the dreams always ending with those cold eyes watching him fall to his death.  
He tries to concentrate harder, his focus on the tapes again.

Tony watches and watches, but he's just too tired. No matter how long he looks at the holograms in front of him, he can't find a clue about what he's supposed to -  
Wait... That date!

"FRIDAY, correct me If I'm wrong, but isn't that the exact day and time I called in the Avengers and Fury to deliver them the news about the state Loki and I are currently in - you know, about the curse and all that?"  
He turned around risking a glance at the god. It seemed like he was drawing into his sketchbook while DUM-E lingered beside him, the god actually looked rather occupied,  
so it was unlikely that he was listening into the conversation. 

"That is correct, Boss. That's the reason I wanted you to come down here."

Tony looked at the Holograms in disbelief. That couldn't be. It wasn't possible.  
"Please tell me I'm just seeing things, Baby Girl."

"If you're referring to the fact that Agent Hill is in two entirely different places at the exact same time, then I guess the answer is no, you're not seeing things, Boss."

Tony took a deep breath. Maybe there was an easy explanation for this. Hill and Fury had come together to the meeting, Hill particularly glued to the one-eyed pirate (like she always was), but had left the room as soon as said meeting had started, she had gotten an emergency call and had left the room in a hurry, excusing herself.  
Maybe she had not only left the room, but also the Tower? That would explain why she showed up on the surveillance tapes and why FRIDAY believed her in two places at the same time.  
It was all just a misunderstanding, right?

"Sir, I'm certain you're thinking about the possibility that Agent Hill had left the Tower and went back to SHIELD headquarters, am I correct?"  
Jarvis asked, knowing exactly what went through his inventor's mind. 

"Yeah, but I guess you're gonna tell me something I don't really want to hear, aren't you?"  
Tony sighed, already getting a headache from the information in front of him. 

"Unfortunately, yes. As soon as FRIDAY showed me the surveillance, I checked If Agent Hill had left the Tower..."

"Brother confirmed that Agent Hill never left the Tower. She left together with Fury when he stormed out of the room. That means Agent Hill was indeed in two different places at the same time."

"So, what should I think of this? That Hill got herself a Doppelganger? That sounds ridiculous even to me.  
I mean, even If I take a closer look. They look exactly the same. I can't make out the tiniest difference. How is that even possible?"  
Tony had suspected SHIELD to be compromised for a while now, but he had only assumed that someone secretly leaked small pieces of information to their enemies.  
That, he could deal with... But a Doppelganger? Hell, who would think about something like that?!

"It just seems so unreal... Can this really be possible?" He sighed again. Not really knowing what else to say. This was bad. This was really, really bad. 

"Sir, If I might quote Arthur Conan Doyle; Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." 

Tony looked up to the nearest camera, looking at it in utter disbelief.  
"Sherlock Holmes? Really, JARVIS?" 

"I thought that might help you order your thoughts on the matter, Sir."

Tony slumped into his chair, suddenly feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders... 

"Boss, would you like me to inform Director Fury about the Doppelganger?"  
FRIDAY asked, sounding almost hesitant. 

Tony considered calling Fury for a second but dismissed that option entirely.  
"No... Not until we gain further information on that matter. Also, Fury is always in the company of Hill, we can't be sure If it's the real one or the Doppelganger around him when we call.  
If the fake one gets wind of us knowing about her she will definitely flee and we'll be left without any clues as to why she infiltrated SHIELD in the first place. Also, we don't know which one of them is the actual fake one.  
Even If the one in the Tower was in the company of Fury, who can say If it was really the 'real' Maria Hill? We can't be certain at this point."

"What do you want us to do then, Sir?"

Tony stared seemingly into nothingness before he answered dryly;  
"You guys do what you do best - Continue hacking SHIELD. I want both of you to keep your eyes on every Agent of the organization sans the other Avengers.  
We can't eliminate the possibility that this Doppelganger is not only showing us a perfect clone of Hill but of other people as well..." 

Tony stopped at that for a moment, his thoughts wandering into a strange direction.

"... Clone?" He mumbled to himself, not really addressing FRIDAY or JARVIS.

"Sir?"

Tony's eyes suddenly wandered to the far end of the Workshop again and came to a halt on the God who was silently sitting on the couch, still scribbling something into his Sketchbook. 

"... We already said it's impossible that there are two Agent Hill's... But isn't a perfect Doppelganger of her also something entirely impossible?  
So, If we eliminate those impossibilities... " Tony stopped, looking again into Loki's direction. "Then the improbable that remains is... Magic?"

Yeah... That was we only answer that would make at least some tiny bit of sense. There was no other explanation unless Tony had just found Hill's long lost twin sister, like, in one of those awful soap operas;  
Fake Hill who just awakened from her coma, finding her sister working for a super secret organization (SHIELD) and dully realizes that her sister had gotten everything in life she had always wanted for herself;  
A super exciting job, a strong man (Fury) at her side and-

"Sir?" 

Right, they were having a conversation here.  
"Sorry, pal. My thoughts just wandered into a strange direction."

"May I ask why you think magic is involved in this matter, Sir?"

"Remember the Clones Loki used in battle? Perfect copies of himself, acting and behaving like him... Even though they were just copies, they were solid and had the power to fight against us.  
So given that, take a look at the two Agent Hill's. One of them is definitely fake but acting perfectly like the real one. There's just no difference between them.  
Everything from her movements to her mimics screams that it's her we're seeing. There's no way another person could copy all that, even with years of practice it would be impossible to reach such a level."

"So, you think one of the two Agent Hill in the surveillance is a clone created by magic?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm implicating, pal."

"But... How can we determine which one of them is the real one?"  
FRIDAY asked concerned. 

"We can't be a hundred percent certain... I guess the one around Fury might be the real one, but that's just because they're always together - It's hardly a proof we can count on."  
Tony decided to keep his guard around Hill from now on. Better play it save even if she's around Fury.  
Hell, what if both of them were copies, the real one already dead?

The thought of Hill being dead let his stomach drop. He had to do something.  
"FRIDAY now that we know what we have to look for I want you to surveillance Hill? and her scary Twin 24/7. We know that there is a Doppelganger,  
but we have no clue what said wants. Find out why the Doppelganger infiltrated SHIELD and what it plans."

"Will do, Boss."

"J, I want you to help her. Keep an eye out for potential other Doppelgangers. Maybe there are more of them, disguising as other people.  
But keep your profile low - you as well FRIDAY.

"Consider it down, Sir." 

"Good..." Tony waved his hands over the Holograms which disintegrated in faint sparks of blue light, he then stood up from his seat, gazing again into the corner of the Workshop in which Loki was sitting.  
"... I will try to gain some input about magic, illusions and all that other creepy (amazing) stuff from our resident ex- magician."

"Sir, I'm not sure If it is wise to ask your former enemy for advice in that matter. Loki could give you false information, which may lead to unpleasant consequences for you."  
In contrast to his inventor, JARVIS often thought about the consequences some actions could bring with them... Especially Tony's actions... 

"Nah- you know me. No self-preservation skills and all that. If I get in trouble, you will get me out of it."  
Tony wickedly smiled at the cameras, knowing that JARVIS wouldn't be happy with his answer. 

"Like always, Sir..."  
JARVIS snarked, already knowing that things were about to get terribly wrong. If Sir was involved, the next disaster was just around the corner.

~~~~

Loki felt someone watching him, discomfort building in his chest.  
He had looked up from his drawings a few times, trying to find the source of his discomfort but whenever he looked up he just saw Stark,  
eagerly talking to his machines while gesticulating to the shining images in front of him...  
The man couldn't be the one watching him, he seemed deeply lost in the conversation with his AIs, not bothering about Loki in the slightest.  
He took a few glances sideways to the huge glass windows which encased the whole workshop, trying to make out if someone watched him through them but there was no one to be seen...  
Yet, Loki was so certain he had felt eyes on him.  
It made him shiver. If he had his magic, his senses would be as sharp as a blade and he was certain he would have found the source of his disturbance immediately.

He sighed before looking back at his drawings, sketches of random things his eyes had caught on in the Workshop. He even made a sloppy drawing of DUM- E.  
The robot had watched him happily while doing so, pointing its claw at the drawing and then at parts of himself - as If to show Loki what to pay attention to while drawing the machine. 

Loki couldn't help but chuckle when he finished the drawing. He had carefully ripped the drawing out of his sketchbook and had given it to DUM-E.  
The robot tugged it slowly into his claw, holding it close to what Loki guessed was his face. It took only seconds before the robot started to swirl around in circles,  
happily beeping for a while before it swirled over to the other two bots, U and Butterfingers (If Loki remembered their names correctly).  
DUM-E waved the drawing proudly in front of them and then pointed his claw at Loki again.  
Butterfingers and U beeped a few times, and Loki was certain they were pouting because it took only seconds for them to swirl over to him as well.  
Beeping and tugging at him as If they wanted to say him how unfair it was that he only had made a drawing of their brother. 

Loki tried to chase them away. Halfheartedly promising he would draw them later, but the bots were surprisingly adamant to get their drawings as soon as possible and so, he had no other choice as to give in into their demands. 

After Butterfingers and U got their (also sloppy) drawings, the bots finally decided to leave Loki alone,  
swirling back to the tasks they were given and hadn't fulfilled yet. Loki distinctly wondered If the bots were always like that, and If they ever truly finished a task Stark had given them before. 

Speaking of Stark...  
He looked up just to see that the Mortal was still talking to his AIs.  
Something was different, though. Stark's face had a dark expression on it and his body seemed tense. Whatever his AIs had shown him, the mortal didn't seem too happy about it...

Looking closer, Loki could make out the dark circles under the man's eyes.  
He knew Stark hadn't slept much since his arrival and even lesser since they had to sleep in such close proximity to each other.  
Yet, even though the man looked like a living corpse Loki found himself getting more and more absorbed into the warm brown eyes of Stark and his face.  
Stark was indeed quite beautiful for a mortal, that Loki had to admit. The man's face, even in battle, always seemed to radiate kindness and care -  
that alone made him unique under the Midgardians. Loki would later vehemently deny that the word 'beautiful' had crossed his mind a few seconds while he was watching the Mortal.

DUM-E was the one ripping Loki from his (absurd) thoughts, waving his claw in front of him to gain his attention.

"What is it now?" Loki sighed annoyed. DUM-E didn't seem to notice the annoyance in Loki's tone or rather, just didn't care. The bot started to point from Loki's sketchbook to its inventor, eagerly beeping, as If he was trying to say something to Loki.

Loki furrowed a brow. Could it be...?  
"...Are you trying to demand a drawing of Stark from me?"

DUM-E beeped loudly and Loki mused that was a definite yes.  
"You're actually a brave one, demanding something from a god as If it is nothing."

Butterfingers and U joined the conversation (If you could call it like that), beeping in the same demanding tone as DUM-E.  
Loki looked at them for a while, hoping that they would get bored soon and eventually stop beeping. But after a while, he duly noted that they didn't get bored at all and probably never stop beeping.

He found himself gazing at Stark's face yet again... Taking in a long breath before he resigned and sighed in defeat.  
"Fine. I shall draw Stark for you, you unbelievable persistent creatures. But it is not out of goodwill, but rather because I would find my demise in this incredulous sounds you are making." 

'It's just so I can occupy myself while down here- nothing more.'  
He halfheartedly tried to convince himself before he started to draw the mortal in front of him.


	18. Let me go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So before reading this, I want to point out that this Chapter won't be Steve Rogers friendly.  
> He's mostly acting like a dick in this Chapter and I'm sure a lot of people would like to punch him in the face for his behavior towards Tony.  
> I just want to assure you (that even though I don't like Steve) this fic won't become a character bashing one. Steve will get his shit together later and apologize, so I think I don't have to add something to the tags. If it bothers someone just tell me and I'll add the tags nonetheless.  
> I also wanted to point out that the fic starts shortly after the first Avengers movie. I for myself always had the feeling the Avengers weren't a team at the end of the movie, they simply managed to get their shit together after Coulson's death and won. So, I didn't write them as family or friends in this one, they're simply strangers who just started to get to know each other and have their opinions about each other. It will change, but not now.

Tony was uncertain, and that wasn't something he liked. Uncertainty always felt like a weakness to him, in battle as in decisions concerning his life.  
If he was uncertain about something, Tony would just stop thinking about the matter at hand and just go with the flow, not bothering about the consequences - They were something he could later think about.  
That was probably the reason why he, more than often, ended up risking his own life or found himself getting betrayed by the ones he thought closest to him.

It was always the same old song;  
Tony ignoring the signs which tried to tell him to think things through before acting in favor of running from one disaster into the next. 

There were so many occasions in which he felt uncertain about something but had just decided to go with the flow instead of asking himself why he felt uncertain in the first place.  
Maybe, If he actually would have taken the time to think things through, he would have realized that it was not his brightest decision to leave for Afghanistan, showing off his weapons like some rich idiot he was back then.  
Maybe, If he hadn't believed Obie so voluntarily and had questioned the man from time to time when he had the feeling that something was off, he would have realized sooner that Obie had just used him for his own goals...  
Who knows? Maybe it would have saved him from the crushing sensation he felt when he realized that the one person he though closest to a family had betrayed him.  
And maybe... It would have saved the one person in his life, who actually gave a damn about him from dying...  
But he hadn't doubted, he hadn't listened, and he had never bothered to change that.  
Instead, he ignored the lingering feeling that something was off about Obie and trusted him without a second thought - because it was easier to believe the lies than seeking the truth...

It was the same with Pepper... Sweet, amazing Pepper...  
He had overlooked the uncertainty he had felt when they had started dating in favor of experiencing the feeling of truly being loved by her. 

He always had this lingering, dark feeling that things would sooner or later break apart and that it was a ridiculous idea to even try this whole relationship thing with her,  
knowing how broken he was... Yet, like so often before, it was just so much easier to run straight into the disaster as to prevent it from happening.

He loved Pepper, still does. And he knows she loved him, she really did, but she hated the way he risked his own life every time he tried to save the world as Iron Man.  
After Yinsen happened, Iron Man became Tony's reason to keep going, his excuse for still being alive when Yinsen was not. His chance to make amends for all his mistakes...

But Iron Man was not the one Pepper wanted, she just wanted Tony, nothing more, nothing less...  
It didn't take long for her to hate Iron Man. For her to despise the emotions she felt when Tony went to one of his missions, not knowing If he would ever come back to her alive or die while doing what he thought was right.  
The constant fear of losing him, the worry and the growing anger at his recklessness concerning his own life just scared her away.  
And after a while, she wanted him to choose - Iron Man or her.  
The answer seemed so obvious at that time. He loved her like he never loved anyone before and there was SHIELD and other Superheroes out there to protect the world.  
Perhaps Iron Man wasn't his reason to live, maybe it had always been Pepper?

Tony distinctly remembered her face when he promised her to change, to stop risking his life for the greater good and to become a better person for her, not for himself...  
And for a while, it really seemed to work.

Looking back now, Tony remembered the faint glimpse of guilt in Pepper's eyes... Something he should have recognized at that time but hadn't.

 

Tony had tried so hard to leave Iron Man behind, to focus wholly on Pepper and the future they could build together, even though it made him feel like he was losing a part of himself along the way.  
He tried so hard that he hadn't noticed the way Pepper's eyes turned even guiltier and sadder, the more he tried to please her and make her happy.  
He still believed everything would work out in the end... That she was looking like that because he just hadn't tried enough yet.

 

And then Loki happened.

 

Pepper couldn't take it anymore. She just couldn't. Tony remembered her crying in front of him, her beautiful face ruined by the tears she shed.  
He had cupped her into his arms, promising that it was the last time he risked his life, that he wouldn't do it again and that he was sorry, so terribly sorry,  
but Pepper just lifted her head and told him that 'this' wasn't what she wanted anymore. That she couldn't stand by watching anymore. Watch 'him' fading away while trying to become a better man for her.  
That Iron Man was his life, his reason and she shouldn't have asked him to throw that part of him away for her.  
It was then, that he realized that the sadness in her eyes hadn't been because of him failing to reach her expectations but rather, because she had to witness him losing more and more of himself along the way. 

She had kissed him on the cheek, wishing him that he would find someone who truly loved 'everything' about him and Tony knew from the way her voice had shaken at the word 'everything' that she had meant Iron Man with it.  
He was sad, frustrated and felt anger rising up in his throat when she turned around and left. He wanted to scream, to curse the world for taking her from him, the one person he thought he could love until his very end...  
But the screams didn't come, instead, he felt the tears welling up in his eyes, knowing that Pepper was right. That whatever 'this' had been could have never lasted without breaking them slowly apart.  
Pepper deserved someone who would only care for her, someone who was willing to give her everything, even If that meant to let something else go. Someone who wouldn't fall apart while changing for her...  
And Tony?  
Tony wasn't that person.  
Because he wasn't able to change for her.  
Because he wasn't able to love himself the way he should.  
Because he needed a reason to be a better man, and even though he tried to convince himself that Pepper made him a better man, she wasn't. Not entirely.

It hurt. It hurt to lose her. But at the same time, a small part of him felt relief when she decided to let him go and for that, he damned himself. 

Maybe that's why he decided to think things through for once.  
To not blindly run into the lion's dent and hope that everything will turn out alright in the end (he had learned his lesson that it mostly didn't).  
He was a genius, damn! One would expect him to use his brain more often. Looking back at all his pasts mistakes made him realize that he had to be more thoughtful regarding other people... 

That's probably the reason why Tony was still glued to the spot next to his workbench instead of heading over to Loki...

Just going with the flow regarding Loki wouldn't end up in a breakup or in a betrayal. It would end up with Tony being dead If he wasn't cautious enough. 

So he weighed his options, determined to find the one which wouldn't end up in, well, his ultimate demise.

'I could just lie to him.'  
Was the first thought that passed his mind.  
'I could tell him how amazing I think his magic is, and lure him into telling me how it works and then I could use it for-'  
He stopped that thought abruptly. Suddenly feeling disgusted with himself. His stomach felt like it had dropped to his knees.  
Wasn't this exactly the same thing Obie would have done?  
Or rather, had done - to Tony?

Tony's knees began to bulk, his head spinning and he had the feeling that he was close to vomiting. He hastily sat down into his chair, breathing heavily while trying to not just plump over face first to the ground.

'Great, Tony. You just wanted to play the same dirty old tricks Obie used on you on someone else.'  
He bitterly thought between raspy breaths. 

"Boss?"

"Sir?"

FRIDAY and JARVIS said almost simultaneous. Concern filling their voices. 

"I- It's a- alright, guys. J- Just give me a sec."  
He stuttered the words out, holding his hand up in a gesture that implicated that he just needed a moment to calm down. 

It took him a few minutes before he finally managed to get over his panic attack. He breathed in deeply before puffing out a weak laugh, ´  
not because he found the situation particular funny but rather because he knew his AIs there still watching and he wanted to show them that he felt better.  
'I will be better than that.' Tony thought begrudgingly while clenching his hands into fists.  
'I am better than that!'

He decided to tell Loki the truth. That it was the right thing to do rather than lying.  
Loki was still his enemy, he knew that. Yet, it was the only way to get the information he wanted from Loki without feeling like a piece of shit (or getting killed for lying).  
Sure, the god could just decide to not help Tony. Hell, Loki could even be able to use that advantage over Tony for the god's own amusement.  
But Tony knew that gaining truths from others meant that you had to exchange your own truths for them... Even if it could backfire at you.  
At least, Tony could say he had done the right thing when that time came around and maybe-

The sudden shudder he felt let his thoughts die down immediately.  
Eyes. He could feel eyes on him. The uncomfortable feeling of being watched crept into his bones, making him fidgeting in his chair.  
Tony wasn't sure If he really wanted to turn his head around.  
The only other occupant in the workshop who was able to actually 'gaze' at someone was Loki and Tony didn't really want to know why the god was gazing at him in the first place.  
Maybe the god got pissed at Tony for making him stay together with him in the workshop for so long? 

Tony decided to wait. Either Loki would stop staring, or Tony would found himself lying on the ground, drowning in his own blood when Loki was done with whatever plan he was scheming.

The waiting felt like an eternity but the feeling of being watched didn't die down.  
'Well, they do say curiosity killed the cat...' Tony thought when he couldn't take it anymore and turned around. 

Tony could swear that Loki looked startled when he realized that Tony had caught him staring.  
Loki seemed to say something, inaudible for Tony due to the distance between them before he turned his gaze away from Tony in a swift movement.  
He then turned his gaze to Tony's bots, staring daggers at DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers while seemingly being very annoyed at them.

"...Well, that's definitely suspicious." Tony said, not really knowing what else to say to this weird situation. 

Hopefully, the bots hadn't decided to team up with Loki in his venture of getting rid of Tony.  
He could already picture Loki and the bots standing around him while watching him choke to death on one of DUM-Es super awful smoothies.  
God, he wouldn't get that picture out of his head for a while now, he realized while tasting the weird ingredients of the smoothie that would lead to his death on his tongue. 

"FRIDAY, If you guys ever plan to get rid of me, don't let DUM-E do the job, have mercy, 'kay?"  
Tony almost plead. 

"Will do so, Boss. I promise to kick your ass myself!"  
FRIDAY joked, at least Tony hoped it was meant as a joke.

"Sir, excuse me for the interruption but Mr. Rogers just entered the Tower and is on his way to the Workshop."  
JARVIS said, his void strangely void of emotion. 

"Great, exactly the one man I wanted to see after finding out about the second Hill, getting into a panic attack and realizing that my own bots probably plan to kill me together with the mad god."  
Tony sneered, looking up as If he was asking the universe for the answer why it hated him so much. 

 

~~~~

Steve... Well, Steve looked as pissed as he had looked when he had left the Tower the other day. His mouth a tight line on his face, when he entered the Workshop. 

"Good evening, Mister Rogers."  
JARVIS greeted like he always did when one of the Avengers entered the Workshop. Normally, it would do to greet the person only when entering the Tower,  
but JARVIS had learned over the past years that it was better to greet visitors again when they entered the Workshop,  
given how spooked his inventor reacted every time someone suddenly stood beside him or started talking to him while working. 

Steve didn't react to JARVIS greeting, he just looked around the workshop while walking over to Tony.  
Tony could see the exact moment Steve had spotted Loki in the Workshop, his eyes turning dark while his posture seemed to tense.

"Tony we have to speak - now."  
Steve announced when he came to a stop in front of Tony, voice cold and demanding.

"No greeting, Cap? And here I thought you came to visit me because you have missed me."  
Tony joked, trying not to give a single shit about Steve's mood and impolite behavior towards JARVIS.  
Not being greeted was fine for Tony, but that Steve ignored JARVIS politeness didn't sit right with him.

"Tony, I'm serious. Stop joking around. We have to talk."

'Oh, the Captain America mode now, huh?' Tony thought bemusedly.  
Tony decided to ignore Steve's 'I am Captain America - you have to listen to me' tone entirely, not bothering to look up from whatever he pretended to do right now.

"TONY!"

"You don't have to yell, Steve. I'm not deaf, you know? And even If I was, yelling wouldn't help to tale your point across."  
Tony said, feeling anger rise up in his throat. 

"Well, I wouldn't have to yell at you If you would stop being so childish and actually listen to me! I'm trying to talk to you!  
It's extremely bad-mannered of you to just ignore people when they're talking to you, Tony."

"Oh? But it is okay for you to ignore JARVIS when he's greeting you? And let me guess, you don't count it as bad-mannered to come into someone else's home and yell at them for no particular reason?  
That's rich of you, Rogers." Tony snarled.

"It's not like JARVIS would care, Tony! He's just a computer. It's not like he would get offended or something alike."

"Did you just-"  
Tony looked at Steve in disbelief, feeling the need to punch Steve straight into the face even If it would probably result in a broken hand for Tony.  
His AIs and bots were living beings, he believed them in having a soul! How could Steve just call them mere machines?!

"Stop it, Tony." Steve cut him off, looking at Tony as If the inventor was getting angry at him for no real reason "I'm not here to fight. I'm here because of him." Steve pointed behind Tony where Loki still was sitting on the couch.  
The god just sat there, still drawing something in his sketchbook, but Tony was sure as hell that the god was listening into the conversation.

"What's with him?" Tony spat, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"He's dangerous and shouldn't stay with you, Tony."

"You all agreed that he could stay If I remember correctly. Why do you want him to leave so suddenly?"

"That was before, Tony. The situation is different now. Thor told us he would be bound to you, not that you would be cursed! We're worried about you!"

At that, Tony had to bark a laugh.  
"Are you serious, Steve? We only fought once together. Don't make me laugh. Don't pretend you have grown fond of me after just this one battle.  
I remember pretty clearly that you said about me on the Helicarrier. It's not that your guys a concerned about me.  
It's because you guys are fearing to lose one of your little soldiers. But surprise, nothing changed from my statement before: I am not a damn soldier, Steve."  
Tony knew his words were harsh, but it was the way he felt, why keeping these thoughts to himself, then?

"Are you really implying that we're only pretending to care about you, Tony?!  
Do you think we would get angry at you for no reason? Everybody freaked out when you told us that the curse can actually harm, maybe even kill you!"

"...You guys didn't freak out when I had told you about the curse. You guys freaked out when I told you I wouldn't be able to fight as Iron Man for a while. Know the difference, Steve.  
No one batted an eye when I said it could get dangerous for me, but as soon as you guys were to lose Iron Man you would all yell at me and storm out of the Tower."  
Tony said bitterly, biting his bottom lip to keep his anger down.

 

God... He was tired of Steves righteousness. He was tired of the people around him which just wanted to use him. Tired of just everything. 

"Tony, you know that that's not true! We're worried about you. Loki is dangerous and could use that curse against you. You could die!"

"...Then he would too, Steve."

"And you think that matters to him? He's mad Tony! It wouldn't stop him from trying to get rid of you! As soon as he finds a way to work around that curse you're doomed.  
Why would you want that? We can call Thor and his mother to lift the curse, to send Loki back to Asgard. It's not like he would get executed up there. He would go to prison, that's all."  
Steve tried to reason. 

"You know he doesn't deserve that!"

"He destroyed half New York and ended over a hundred innocent lives in doing so, Tony. He's not innocent!"

"It wasn't him, you know that he was brainwashed just like Barton was, Steve!  
There's blood on our hands, too... Why do we deserve a second chance and he does not? Tell me!" 

Steve took a moment before answering, looking at Tony as If the inventor had lost his mind.  
"You know that is a whole different story, Tony."

"Is it now, huh?"

"Tony... Please. Stop acting like a child. Please let us call Thor. You shouldn't be the one suffering for Loki's mistake."

"No. Loki will stay. End of the story."

"Tony you-" Steve tried but Tony had enough of this conversation.

"You should go now," he started, his voice sour from all the yelling. "Tell the others I'm fine and that I appreciate their concern, Steve."  
He waved a hand at Steve, indicating the man to leave him alone.  
The conversation was over, at least for Tony.  
He had turned around and was heading back to his Workbench when he was suddenly yanked back by the arm. 

"Tony we're not done here!"  
Steve growled, tightening the grip around Tony's arm.

"We are," Tony sneered venomously back at Steve while trying to yank his arm free from Steve's grip. It was hopeless, though. "And now let go of me, damn! You're hurting me!" Tony almost whined. 

"If you would stop struggling It wouldn't hurt you, I just want you to see reason, Tony!" Steve said, not thinking for one moment to let Tony go.

"Mr. Rogers I must insist that you let go of Mr. Stark, otherwise I will-"  
JARVIS started, his voice filled with anger and something Tony couldn't quite grasp.  
Tony felt Steve's grip tighten around his arm even more, probably because the Soldier was irritated by JARVIS interruption and his demanding tone.

"Mr. Rogers, do not make me repeat myself, this is your last warning."  
JARVIS threatened, and Tony knew that would happen next If Steve didn't let go immediately; One of his suits, or maybe even two (given that FRIDAY was surely as pissed at Steve as JARVIS was),  
would activate and kick Steve out of the Tower and that was something Tony definitely didn't want to happen. 

"J, stay out of this." He ordered his AI, trying to stop the situation from getting even worse. 

"Sir, I'm afraid I have to disobey your order. Mr. Rogers is clearly harming you. I won't stand by and watch him do as he pleases." JARVIS said, voice flat and angry.

"JARVIS, it's okay I had worse. Stay out of this, it's an order!"

Tony had known someone with worse temper tantrums than Steve's so it was fine. Steve would yell a and scream a bit more at him and then leave.  
Compared to Howard's outbursts of anger, Steve's was relatively harmless.

Howard liked to scream and to abused as much as he liked inventing.  
Tony couldn't remember all the times his father had abused him while being drunk.  
Some days Tony had been lucky and got away with just some bruises, other days he wasn't and found himself waking up in a hospital, sporting a concussion and broken ribs because he mysteriously had fallen from the stairs- again.  
The doctors had never asked any questions.  
Nor had anyone ever visited Tony while being in the hospital, not even his own mother.  
He always wondered as a child why no one seemed to care about him and about the way Howard treated him...  
He remembered crying himself to sleep every night he had to stay in the hospital, feeling alone and unloved. Knowing that he would end up here again in a few months.  
It was only when he got older that he finally realized that Howard had paid the Doctors to stay silent and that it was also Howard who had forbidden his Mother, Ana, and Edwin to visit him in the hospital. 

He watched Steve. Watched the way the Soldiers face began to slowly morph into that of Howard.  
'Damn, not again' Tony screamed silently, feeling the panic building in his chest.  
Tony closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  
'I had worse, it's okay. Howard is dead. He can't hurt me the way he used to hurt me anymore. He can't be here, he's dead, he's dead!' He remembered himself while Steve was still yelling at him.  
Tony couldn't understand the words anymore, though.  
'I had worse, I had worse, I had worse...' He repeated, trying to keep himself from losing it. 

 

"... May I?"  
A voice suddenly purred into his ear, accompanied by a warm breath of air which ghosted faintly over Tony's skin.  
Tony opened his eyes to see Loki standing beside him, the god's face dark and angry, even though his voice had sounded so soft and gentle when he had spoken just a mere second ago.

"What are you doing- Arghhhh!" Steve started only to end his sentence with a loud screech.

Loki had gripped Steve's arm, the one Steve had used to hold Tony in place with, the one Loki was now crushing beneath his hand while his fingers dug into Steve's flesh.  
All while putting on a malicious smile on his face. 

"Stop it!" Steve yelled, but Loki didn't. 

"Oh? May I ask why? If I remember correctly, Stark asked you to let him go too, yet you didn't. So why would you expect me to do like you say?"  
Loki chuckled, his fingertips digging deeper into the skin of Steve's arm, already drawing blood.

Steve tried to free himself from Loki's grip but he was just as hopeless as Tony was before. 

Loki watched Steve's attempts to free himself in amusement.  
"Don't think you could free yourself from my hold, Soldier. You might be enchanted but I am still a god. You're nothing but an ant compared to me."

Tony wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that he had to step in before Loki decided to rip Steve's arm out.  
Steve might heal incredibly fast, but Tony doubted that the man would be able to grow himself a new arm. 

"Loki, please... Let him go."  
Tony managed to say, his voice sounding tired and weak even to himself.

The god didn't let go immediately, he took a moment to gaze into Tony's eyes, seemingly searching for something, before he let go of Steve's arm with a sigh.  
His eyes though, stayed on Tony's, never leaving them even when Steve had fallen to the ground with a loud thud. 

Tony couldn't help but notice the way Loki's eyes seemed to burn right through his own, making him feel like his very being was exposed to the god.  
Just a few moments ago Loki's eyes had looked deadly and murderous but as soon as they found Tony's they had become soft, and almost warm.  
Tony wondered why...

Loki shifted closer, still holding Tony's gaze. Out of the corner of his eye's Tony could see that Loki had lifted a hand to reach out for him...  
"...Stark" Loki started but stopped right away when he noticed that Tony flinched away. He frowned, looking at his hand which had wandered dangerously close to the mortal's face.  
The god's eyes widened then, as If he just realized that he was about to do.  
Loki looked away, suddenly looking at everything but Tony.  
"...Never mind." The god almost whispered, resignation and something like hurt? seeping through his voice.  
He then turned around to Steve, looking down at the man with a coldness in his eyes Tony had never seen before.

"Until next time." Loki said to Steve before returning to the couch in the back of the Workshop. 

Tony could hear the unspoken thread in the god's words and wondered what the hell was going on with Loki. 

"Well, I think you should go now."  
He said to Steve, not bothering to look at his Teammate. How could he, when he was still watching the retreating back of the riddle called Loki?


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 18 chapters we finally get to hear what the main protagonist of this story thinks about well, stuff???

DUM-E decided that he wanted to be friends with Loki.

Somehow Loki reminded DUM-E of Tony and that was something the little bot found very fascinating.  
He never met another human who was like his dad, not even slightly. His dad was just unique among all the humans he had met.  
When DUM-E wanted to play with his dad, Tony would act annoyed but play with him nonetheless.  
When DUM-E wanted attention, his dad would give him his- stopping whatever project he was working on in favor of DUM-E.  
His dad was just kind and full of love, his enthusiasm a trait to be admired.   
Loki... Loki seemed to be the same. The god acted annoyed, yet he agreed to draw DUM-E and his siblings.  
And even though the god's behavior seemed cold and ruthless, DUM-E could tell that it was all a facade.   
There was kindness in the god's eyes, DUM-E had seen it when the god was talking to him.

But that wasn't the only reason why DUM-E wanted to become Loki's friend.  
The thing he appreciated most about Loki was that the god had treated DUM-E and the others like they were human beings when Tony had introduced them to him.  
Most of the people visiting their home didn't. Tony's other friends, for example, never bothered to greet him or his siblings.  
DUM-E couldn't stand those other friends of Tony. They never wanted to play with him or chased him away when he wanted to greet them.  
The thing he hated most about them was that they treated JARVIS like thin air. His brother was such a polite and nice being, yet they never cared to greet him or give him their thanks when he did something for them.  
They were simply not friendly to his siblings and him, and most of the time DUM-E had the impression that they weren't really interested in becoming friends with him or the other in the first place.   
That was the reason why DUM-E decided that he liked Loki definitely more than them and would do everything in his might to make the god like him as well. 

 

When Loki had reluctantly started to draw Tony, DUM-E had watched him closely, following every move of Loki's pencil with awe. He watched how the faint lines on the paper slowly but surely formed the face of his Inventor.   
At first, the drawing seemed to become as sloppy as the ones Loki did before (Yeah. DUM-E and the others aren't blind. They know real art when they see it - thank you very much), the god's gaze occasionally flicking over to Tony,  
his eyes lazily tracing over the Inventors body and face, as If he was looking at something totally uninspiring that wasn't worth his attention...

After a while though, DUM-E noticed how the occasional gazes began to linger longer on the inventor than probably necessary and the movement of his pencil became slower and slower until it eventually came to a stop entirely.   
DUM-E watched Loki for a while, wondering why the god had stopped drawing all of a sudden. Loki's face was unreadable, his eye's glinting with something that would be best described with the word 'hunger'.  
It was unsettling to see someone look at his dad like that, but DUM-E doubted the god did it out of ill intentions.   
It seemed more likely that the god himself hadn't even realized that he was staring at the Inventor like he was some sort of prey. 

It took a while (almost too long for DUM-E's taste) before the god finally came back from wherever place his train of thought had carried him.

The god shifted slightly, his gaze wandering done to the sketch he had made of the mortal.  
"He..." Loki started, "He's a unique one, your Inventor I mean."  
DUM-E noticed that Loki's face turned sour as soon as the words had left his mouth as if he couldn't believe it was him who had spoken them.   
"A unique one among his pathetic race at last."  
Loki hastily added with disdain in his voice, probably in an attempt to disguise the fact that he just had complimented the Inventor.

DUM-E saw the resignment in the god's eyes when he looked up from his sketch, his eyes immediately wandering over to where Tony stood.

"Pathetic, yes..." Loki whispered, apparently more to himself than to DUM-E.  
"But unique nonetheless."

Tony took that exact moment to turn around, looking at Loki in confusion.   
The bot had watched the god's following reaction in awe; Loki's face had gone unbelievable pale (much paler than it was before) when his and Tony's eyes had met.  
He hastily looked away, trying to avoid the Inventor's eyes on his own. He cursed something under his breath, probably in his mother tongue, before starring daggers into his sketchbook.  
Not looking up even though DUM-E had poked him once.

DUM-E had no clue why the god's mood suddenly had changed to the worse, nor why Loki still hadn't finished the promised drawing of Tony.  
He poked Loki again, this time accompanied by a few beeps and whining sound DUM-E always made when he wanted someones attention.   
The bot feared that whatever had made Loki angry would stand between them becoming friends (and between the drawing he wanted so much).   
Something DUM-E could let happen. Loki had to become his friend no matter what! Tony always told them they had to apologize when someone was angry so the bot started to whine even loader,  
waving his claw in front of Loki's face, hoping that the god would realize that the gesture was meant as some sort of apologie.   
He didn't want to lose this new friend because he had done something stupid (even though he didn't know what he did wrong in the first place).

The little bot whined almost fifteen minutes before Loki seemed to recognize that he was still next to him.  
"You can stop that whining of yours... I am not mad at you. There's no need to apologize to me... Loki said, somehow sounding lost. 

He sighed again (something DUM-E noticed he did often), looking down at his sketchbook with an unreadable expression on his face.   
One of the god's fingers traced over the paper, following the sloppy lines of the sketch he had drawn. 

Observing the gesture, DUM-E mused Loki must have been angry because of the drawing. Maybe he was annoyed because Tony had turned around and almost caught wind of Loki drawing him.   
Loki surely wanted to surprise Tony with the drawing! That was it! That would explain the yelling and why the god looked at his sketchbook as if he was sad.  
The bot knew what he had to do and started beeping loudly.

"What is it now? I already said I'm not mad at you, so stop with this horrible sound you're making." Loki said while waving a dismissive hand at the bot.

DUM-E sometimes wished he were able to talk just like JARVIS and FRIDAY were. It would make things so much easier for him.   
He poked Loki with his claw, first softly but seeing the god not react, he decided to put a little bit more force into his pokes.

"Stop poking me, you unreasonable machine! How often do I need to tell you that I am not mad? Or do you actually want me to be mad at you?!"  
Loki sneered, his eyes blazing with anger.  
DUM-E didn't stop, though (no self-preservation skills just like his dad). He poked the god even harder and then started to point from Loki to Tony.  
The god looked at him like the bot had lost his mind, so DUM-E had to change tactics. Instead of pointing from Loki to Tony, he now pointed from Loki to Tony and then to the Sketchbook.   
Hoping the god would finally understand him.

Loki's brow furrowed when he finally seemed to grasp that the bot wanted him to tell.  
"Don't tell me it's about that drawing again?" The god asked in disbelieve.

DUM-E had started beeping louder and happier then, pleased that Loki had understood him.

"FINE!" Loki hissed, resignation in his voice. "I will finish your drawing so cease with this awful noise. It sounds like a dying Bilgesnipe and I would rather not listen to it more than necessary...  
And in the name of all the nines, stop poking me!"

DUM-E stopped beeping and poking (though reluctantly - he liked poking Loki) and waited eagerly for the god to start drawing.   
He waited and waited... But nothing happened. Loki just sat there, eyes fixed down on the unfinished sketch of the Inventor before him.   
DUM-E's claw was ready for the next poke when Loki started to chuckle in amusement.  
"Put 'that' down and cease your impatience. I will draw your Inventor, no need to poke me again. Just give me a bit more time..."

There was a heavy silence befalling them then, and for a few minutes, Loki just sat there his gaze lingering on the Sketchbook with an intensity as if it held all the answers to the universe. 

"I..." Loki started, his hand slowly starting to trace over the thin paper. "It's just that I'm not satisfied with this one. I will make another one..."   
His fingers coming to a stop near the sketched eyes of Tony.

DUM-E realized he had seen that look before, back then when Pepper was still here and sometimes when Rhodes had visited.  
Both of them had often looked like that when they had visited Tony. And DUM-E had always wondered what that look meant.   
There was so much fondness in that look but at the same time resignation mixed with sadness and something, DUM-E wasn't able to identify.   
Whatever that look meant, DUM-E was just glad that he would get a new and even better drawing of his father and probably would win a new friend in the progress. 

 

~~~~

 

Of course, FRIDAY had noticed Steve entering the Tower right away, the same went for JARVIS. She wasn't happy seeing the Soldier so again after what had happened the last time he had been in the Tower.   
She notified her other siblings about his arrival, mainly to assure that DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers would behave and stay out of trouble. She knew that her siblings weren't fond of the other Avengers.  
JARVIS had told her so after Tony had woken her up from her sleep. Especially DUM-E seemed to dislike them the most. So, it was only natural for her to make sure that those 'little shits' (how Boss had often referred to her siblings)  
behaved well. 

When Rogers entered the workshop she couldn't help but feel proud of her siblings; All three of them went silent as soon as the man had entered the workshop, their attention fully on the Soldier.   
The only one who hadn't noticed a single thing was the god of mischief, she noted dully. Not that Rogers had entered the workshop nor that the bots around him had gone eerily silent.   
FRIDAY had observed the god for the whole time since he had come down to the workshop. Not out of curiosity but rather because she feared the god to harm DUM-E or the others.   
She knew her siblings all too well, that said she was almost certain that one of them would anger Loki to such an extent that the god would go on a rampage. 

Well, her fears were justified. Of course, DUM-E had managed it somehow to get the god pissed but to her surprise, nothing had happened. 

It almost looked like Loki had something called 'a soft spot' for DUM-E. FRIDAY had her problems comprehending that new information she seemingly just have gained about the god.   
Given the information, she had gotten from JARVIS, the god seemed to act entirely different from that fateful day he had attacked New York. Somehow she had thought the god would be... Well, more destructive and dangerous.  
It had made her feel on edge when Boss had introduced her sibling to Loki, fearing the god would use the opportunity to harm them. 

She duly realized that her fears were actually unfounded, given how the god interacted with her siblings. She decided to observe the god a little bit more then, silently watching how the god acted around DUM-E, but mostly around BOSS.   
Unlike DUM-E it was easier for her to spot when Loki lost himself in his thoughts...  
Thoughts, FRIDAY was certain, probably circled more around Boss than anything else, given how Loki's gaze lingered on her Inventor. Something about Boss seemed to intrigue the god,   
and it bothered her greatly that she couldn't grasp the reason as to why.   
She observed the soft movements of Loki's fingertips which lazily followed the outlines of the drawing he had sloppily made of Boss (Yeah. She had noticed the sloppiness, too. Surprise - literally everyone did).  
Caressing the paper with something that awfully resembled fondness.

It had made her wonder when Loki had announced that he would make another sketch of Boss. She thought it rather strange because the god had no real reason to do so.   
Something seemed suspicious about this whole matter, and FRIDAY was determined to find out what it was. She would keep an eye on Loki, making sure that whatever was going on wouldn't harm her siblings or Boss in the progress.

 

~~~~

 

Loki stared and stared and stared...  
His eyes hurting the longer he looked down at his sketchbook.  
His thoughts running in circles around the question of why exactly he wanted to make a better drawing of Stark.   
He had already finished the drawing he made before, all that was left to do was to hand the drawing over to that annoying machine and then call it a day.  
Yet, something nagged at the back of his mind, urging him to overthink this decision.

Looking closer at the mortal before had made him realize that the drawing from before just... Well, it somehow hadn't felt right.  
As if the drawing in front of him had nothing in common with the mortal. Loki's sketch had felt hollow and lifeless which was in total contradiction to Anthony's personality. The warm eyes of the man,  
his gentle smile, the kindness he had shown, and his amusing wit... Just everything of the man's personality seemed to be amiss in Loki's drawing as If the sketch in front of him showed an entirely different person.  
Loki thought about the possibility that the silly machine could decide to show Anthony the awful drawing Loki had made... Hel, Anthony would either laugh or be disappointed, probably both Loki guessed... 

'Wait... Anthony? When had he started to refer to the mortal as Anthony?!'  
Loki could feel how every muscle in his body suddenly became tense, his fingertips digging into his thighs. A futile attempt to calm himself down.  
"... It's the curse." He tried to reason. There was no way he would willingly address the mortal by his name, at least not when it wasn't for the sake of mischief. 

"-yson. 

He dug his fingers even deeper into his thighs, willing the thoughts away with the pain.   
"It's all because of that horrible Witch and her-"

"Mr. Laufeyson!"

Loki looked up startled, FRIDAYS loud voice ringing in his ears.

"Mr. Laufeson! It's about Boos. He needs your help!"

Loki scowled,  
"Why would that silly mortal need my help? He got your siblings and you, tell him I am not one of his pathetic mortals he can chase around like a servant."

"Boss told JARVIS to back down and I'm ordered to stay invisible to his Teammates at all times. I could pilot one of his suits, but that option is out of the question regarding the situation. Please, Mr. Laufeyyon! He's in danger!  
I wouldn't beg for your help If it weren't urgent!"  
FRIDAY almost whined. 

"I don't see why you can't interfere then, considering that none of those other ants you call his Teammates are currently-"

"TONY!"

Loki's eyes went wide when he heard the all to familiar voice echoing through the workshop. He turned into the direction in which Anthony- Stark had been sitting the whole day,   
only to find Captain America manhandling the Inventor in his own home. When had the Soldier even entered the Workshop? And why in Hels name hadn't Loki noticed him doing so?!

"What's the meaning of this?!"  
Loki pointed his hand at the two mortal's, irritation and anger starting to seep into his voice. 

"Mr. Rogers came to convince Boss that it is a dangerous venture for him to house you in his Tower. He suggested to send you back to Asgard where you would get the punishment you deserved,  
considering the lives you have ended and the damage you caused."

"... What did Stark answer?"  
Loki asked cautiously. He wasn't sure If he wanted to hear the answer. Regarding the situation in front of him, Loki could already guess that the Inventor had answered.   
It wasn't the answer he feared, but the meaning behind that answer. 

"Boss refused."  
FRIDAY answered without hesitation, her voice firm.

"Why would he go so far as to-"

"I don't know." FRIDAY intervened, slowly growing impatient with the god. "The only thing I know is that Boss vitals are off and that Mr. Rogers refuses to let go of him.  
If this goes on, Boss will suffer a massive panic attack, considering his traumata from the past. I beg you again, Please help him!"  
FRIDAYS voice sounded desperate, and Loki could understand why.  
Taking a closer look at Stark, Loki could see how horrible the man was looking. Even from the distance, he could tell that Stark's breathing was off while his eyes looked distant, as If he was trapped in his own mind...   
A feeling Loki knew all too well.

'That damn mortal! He should have just agreed! Why is this mortal so determined to keep me away from the dungeons?!'  
Loki bitterly thought.

"Fine! But don't believe I will intervene out of kindness, machine. With every favor comes a debt, remember that! The debt you will owe me in return is the only reason for me to aid you in this matter."  
With that said, he strode over to where Stark and the Soldier were standing, his strides fast and determined and full of anger.

Coming closer he realized how irritated and angry he felt. Not at the situation but at himself. He had lied to the machine.   
He had agreed to help Stark because he wanted to, not because he was eager to get the machine indebted to him.  
Seeing the mortal suffer made his whole mind screaming in rage and that scared him.   
Because he was angry in someones else's behalf, and that meant that he gotten invested in said person... Getting invested meant he had started to care about that person, something Loki had hardly done before in his long, mostly miserable life.

When he finally came to a stop beside Stark he noticed that the mortal had closed his eye's, as If the man had given up the fight and just resigned himself to his fate.  
It almost looked like Stark was used to getting abused... Hadn't his AI mentioned something questionable, too?

Loki decided to put that information aside for the moment in favor of slowly bowing done to the Inventor's face, his mouth only inches away from the mortal's skin. 

"... May I?"  
He whispered softly into Stark's ear, careful as to not frighten the man any further while speaking to him. It wasn't an easy task though, given how angry Loki felt.   
It took a lot of effort from him to keep his voice devoid from the rage he felt. 

When the mortal opened his eyes, probably because he was by the sudden voice, Loki found himself stunned for a mere moment. He had already noticed long ago that he thought the mortal's eyes quite beautiful but...   
Had he ever thought of Stark's eyes as adorable? Because at that moment he thought for only a moment that the golden sparks in those deep brown eyes looked, oh so tempting. 

"What are you doing- Arghhhh!"

Ripping Loki from his thoughts was probably the worst thing the Soldier could have done.   
The mere sound of the man's voice filled Loki with feelings of disgust. How dare of him to interrupt whatever this moment was?   
In his anger, Loki gripped the Soldier's arm harsher when probably necessary, his nails digging deep into the mortal's flesh.

"Stop it!"  
The soldier demanded, pain filling his voice. Loki rolled his eyes at the demanding tone. How silly of the man to think a god like him would listen to the demands of a mere mortal.

"Oh? May I ask why? If I remember correctly, Stark asked you to let him go too, yet you didn't. So why would you expect me to do as you say?"  
He couldn't help but chuckle while putting a bit more strength into his hand, already feeling the warmth of the blood which was slowly spilling out under his fingertips. 

The soldier tried to free himself but it was a hopeless endeavor. Even though Loki had lost his magic, he was still a god and therefore a lot stronger than this pathetic excuse of an ant. He didn't hesitate to let the Soldier know that.   
"Don't think you could free yourself from my hold, Soldier. You might be enchanted but I am still a god. You're nothing but an ant compared to me."

'You were no match for me before, and you're no match for me now. Hadn't Stark intervened our battle in Stuttgart you would have died.'   
Loki thought amused. Were was only one mortal member of the Avengers he had to fear in battle, and that one currently stood beside him, not beside the Soldier.   
That thought alone let him grin a malicious smile.

"Loki, please... Let him go."

It was as If the Inventor had heard his thoughts, the faint sound of Stark's voice startled Loki from his thoughts. He turned to the source of it, just to find Stark's eyes peering into his own.  
It was gone, Loki dully realized. The shimmer in the inventor's eyes had disappeared entirely.   
No matter how long he would search those orbs, there was not even a glimpse of life in them... Instead, he bitterly recognized sparks of fear consuming everything he had found beautiful about Stark's eyes.  
Fear, he noticed, which was directed at him, not the Soldier.  
Loki had just tried to protect the inventor... But protecting didn't mean to use violence against the ones who tried to harm the one you wanted to protect. Violence was something only monsters resorted to.  
Of course, the man would fear him for his monstrous behavior. Who wouldn't?  
What in Hels name had he thought would happen? What Stark would be thankful for his help? That they would end up becoming something like good acquaintances? Maybe even something close to friends?   
How foolish of him... Where was probably no one out there in all the nines who could overlook his heritage and offer him something that was slightly resembling friendship.

Loki sighed deeply, suddenly feeling tired and resigned.   
He let go of the pathetic ant, making the Soldier falling to the ground with a loud thud. Stark looked relieved, the fear in his eyes slowly getting replaced by concern. Concern for the Soldier Loki mused.   
Loki observed Stark's eyes yearningly, a part of him wishing it was him the mortal would look at and not the Soldier.  
Suddenly, Loki had the urge to explain himself to Stark, to tell him that he had just wanted to help and didn't mean to hurt the Soldier in the progress.  
Maybe, just maybe Stark would understand.

 

"...Stark" He started, unconsciously moving closer to the man, but stopped as soon as he realized that the mortal was flinching away from him.  
His whole body started to tremble when he noticed that his hand had actually reached out for the mortal's cheek.   
Seeing Stark fearing his touch so much stung deeply in Loki's chest. He had made a mistake again.  
Everything he did just seemed to push the mortal further away from him no matter what he would do. Loki couldn't help but to self-loath himself.   
'This had to stop - now!' he bitterly thought. 

He contemplated for a moment if he should tell Stark what was on his mind, but taking another look at the mortal's eyes, Loki decided against it.  
"...Never mind."

This was probably for the best. Nothing good would come out of this. He shouldn't get too invested into one mere mortal he would probably soon outlive anyways. 

With that, he turned around to the Soldier, coldness seeping through his chest at the mere thought that the Soldier's wrongs were so easily forgiven but Loki's could never. 

"Until next time." He spat out in a tone that indicated the Soldier that he wouldn't survive their next encounter. He then retreated back to the far end of the workshop, letting himself heavily fall into the soft cushions of the couch. 

'I have to free myself from this curse as soon as possible, otherwise, this mortal will be my demise.'   
Loki thought bitterly, watching Stark out of the corner of his eyes.


	20. Entangled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update this Chapter but RL had other plans for me and kept me from writing.

"Would someone explain to me what just happened, please?"  
Tony ask exaggerated.

"I believe Loki just kicked Rogers ass, Boss."

"Yeah, I just witnessed that. I mean, why? He had no reason to do so. And FRIDAY? Language- Great. Now I sound exactly like Steve."

"Maybe it was because FRIDAY asked Mr. Laufeyson for help, Sir."  
JARVIS chimed.

Tony's eyes went wide, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish on land.  
"FRIDAY did what?"

"In my defense, you didn't allow us to interfere."

"You. Did. What?"  
Tony repeated.

"I asked Loki for help. In exchange I... Might have agreed to stay in his debt?"

Tony felt like the ground beneath him was slowly crumbling away, making it only a matter of time until he would fall to his demise.

"Why would you do such a stupid thing FRIDAY?! Promising Loki a favor is like giving him one of his daggers. What the hell were you thinking FRI?! And why didn't you stop her JARVIS?!"  
This was just great, another unnecessary problem on top of a whole shitload of other problems Tony had already managed to get into since he took Loki in.

"I..." FRIDAY started, her voice sounding so small and so unlike her. "I was scared, Boss. You build us to protect and care for you, but when you were in danger you didn't allow us to help...  
I just didn't know what else to do. I feared Rogers would take you from us or hurt you even more than he already did. Loki was the only option I had left..."

"I am at fault too, Sir. I know I should have acted when FRIDAY consulted Loki without asking for permission first, but I couldn't bring myself to intervene...  
Your well being is my main priority, Sir. If you forbid me from fulfilling my duty, I have to make sure that I find another way to accomplish it."

Tony felt his throat constricting, damn... Why was a dick like him gifted with such beautiful children?  
He hadn't thought about his kid's feelings, instead, he just yelled at them before even questioning their reasons. Poor FRIDAY. She had just tried to protect her dad...

"Boss, I'm really so-"

"No. Stop it, FRIDAY."

"But Boss I-"

"FRIDAY, stop it!" Tony huffed out, "If someone should feel sorry then it's me. I shouldn't have yelled at you and J, I apologize for that -  
I acted like a total dick. You and your brother tried to do the right thing. There's no need to apologize for anything, baby girl."

And wasn't he in the same situation as his kids? Getting yelled at without being able to explain his side of the story?  
Taking Loki in, offering him a place to stay while everybody else just seemed to see the negative side of his generosity. It was like they found a liking in criticizing him for his decisions.  
Damn, now he felt even more like a dick - Leave it to Tony to blow his own bad conscience up to the moon. 

"Sir, If you allow me to say this; The only person who should apologize is Mr. Rogers. His behavior towards you was more than unacceptable.  
For a man like him, who never ceases to remind others about their laking politeness, he absolutely failed as a proper role model today."  
JARVIS said in a tone so condescending, that it reminded Tony instantly of Pepper when she was arguing with him about work. The AI definitely spent to much time with her.

"Yeah - Cap really fucked it up this time," Tony muttered more to himself than JARVIS. "Speaking of Steve - Status J."

"Mr. Rogers left the Tower exactly 5 minutes ago, he was reluctantly at first, but I made it clear that I wouldn't beg him to leave a second time."  
Just because JARVIS was acting a lot more polite around other people than FRIDAY, didn't mean that the AI couldn't get as angry as his little sister. He had his own ways to show his displeasure towards people who dared to harm his Inventor. 

"I might add that Mr. Rogers called Director Fury as soon as he left your Workshop, Sir."

"Great. So the one-eyed pirate will be next to visit our humble home."  
Tony sighed. He would rather have to deal with all the Avengers at once as to talk with Fury about matters the man had actually no right to put his nose into.

"Unfortunately that is not our only problem, Boss. Rogers told Fury that Loki attacked him for no particular reason. I'm sure our humble home will be the last thing we have to worry about.  
Fury demanded on the phone that Loki is to be captured and brought to SHIELD Headquarters. I assume that he already sent a couple of Agents on their way to get Loki."

Tony frowned at that.  
"What's the meaning of the 'for no reason' part? Loki attacked him because he tried to- Oh, that son of a bitch! Don't tell me he left the part out in which he was manhandling me?!"

"The candidate gets a hundred points."  
FRIDAY chimed sarcastically.

"I can't believe it..."

Tony would have never imagined that Steve could fall so low. Well, technically he couldn't say much about the man at all.  
After all, they only fought together ones, but somehow Tony had that particular picture of the man in his mind (probably all Howards fault),  
which automatically made him believe Steve was something like a saint, unable to do something wrong - only there to protect the week.  
Rogers was not a bad person, that was certain... It was just that the Super Soldier had a problem to listen to the opinions of other people - or rather Tony's.  
Another similarity Steve shared with Howard, that's probably why the man had glorified the Super Soldier to such an extent that he even neglected his own family in favor of searching for the man...

Well, dealing with Steve was one thing but dealing with Fury... That was an entirely different thing. That prick would definitely try to threaten Tony If he didn't hand over Loki to him.  
There was still that 'nearly dying of Palladium poisoning' thing that the one-eyed pirate liked to use against him whenever he could.  
DAMN! Steve and his stupid gigantic ego! Loki hadn't done anything wrong. If Steve got a problem with Tony's decision he could just have asked Fury to kick him from the team.

Wait... 

Kick him from the Team? Kick. Him. From. The. Team. Yeah... Kick him from the Team!

"JARVIS I want you to inform Director Fury that If he or his Agents dare to enter STARK Tower without my permission I'm going to sue the hell out of him and his organization.  
The same goes for ALL the other Avengers except Thor. No one is allowed to put even a foot into this building until I say otherwise."

"Sir, are you sure about that? Director Fury could dismiss you from the Team."

"As far as I am concerned I am only a consultant, right? A very rich and influent consultant who happens to be Iron Man - I'm not an actual Avenger, aren't I?  
If Fury is smart, and we all know he thinks he is 'very' smart, he won't threaten a billionaire who could literally buy his whole organization with a flick of his finger." 

"Consider it done, Sir."

The move was drastic but necessary - If no one would have his back, then fine. Tony was a master in dealing with his shit alone.  
He had decided it was the right thing to help Loki, thus he wouldn't bend to the will of the others and take his decision back. He was Tony fuckin' Stark after all. 

"Sir, I informed Director Fury about your orders. He is, to put it mildly, not very amused and used a few words I do not wish to repeat. Furthermore, he requested (demanded) your attendance at  
SHIELD headquarters to discuss the matter at hand. Given that, may I'm allowed to suggest something, Sir?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I know the relationship between Ms. Potts and Sir is strained, but it would be wise to inform Ms. Potts about the new circumstances regarding Loki, the Avengers, and Director Fury.  
After all, she is still your CEO. It would be wise to inaugurate her into the affair. She could be a great help to you."

Tony wasn't sure If he really wanted to explain this mess to Pepper. They parted as friends, yet they hadn't talked much since the break-up. Getting her into all this mess meant to have a proper conversation with her -  
something Tony wasn't certain he could do... But JARVIS was technically right. If Tony had to stand up against Fury and therefore SHIELD, he would need Pepper's support as the CEO of his company. 

"... Fine. Call her. Make an appointment with her for tomorrow. Tell her it's urgent. If she should refuse just come up with a lie to lure her here."

"I believe it won't be necessary to lie to Ms. Potts, Sir. After all, she cares for you."

"... Yeah, I guess you are right."  
Of course, Pepper cared about him. It had just become another form of 'care' since they decided it was best to end things between them...

"What about Director Fury's request, Sir?"

"Tell him I'll let him know when I'm available for some fancy talk."

"Certainly, he will be very pleased to hear that, Sir."  
JARVIS sassed. 

"Boss?"

"Yeah, baby girl?"

"I think you should go over to Loki and thank him for chasing Rogers away.  
Something seems to bother him greatly. Maybe he thinks you're ungrateful because you haven't thanked him yet. He's acting very distant to DUM-E and the others right now. I'm a little bit concerned about his well being." 

And If he thought the day couldn't get crazier. Now his AI was concerned about the guy who tossed her inventor through a window.  
"How come you're suddenly so invested? That's unlike you, FRI."

"Loki saved you and he's actually rather nice to DUM-E and the others. I think I like him enough to be concerned. Well, at least a little bit."

That was definitely not the answer Tony had expected but well, maybe he was just getting old?  
Turning slightly around, so he wouldn't get noticed by Loki, Tony tried to risk a glance at the god of mischief which was still sitting in the corner of the Workshop.  
Loki was looking into his direction and for a moment Tony thought their eyes had met but... Loki wasn't really looking at him. It was more like the god was looking right through him, almost as if Tony wasn't really there.  
Tony noticed immediately that the normally so bright eyes of the god were looking awfully dull and lifeless...  
Somehow that picture didn't sit well with Tony, FRIDAY way right to be concerned about the god. 

"Alright... I'll go over and talk to him. I mean, the worst thing that could happen to me is to get killed, right?"

"That's the spirit, Boss!"  
FRIDAY announced a little bit too confident for Tony's taste. 

 

~~~~~

 

Loki was caught in his own disastrous thoughts, totally lost to his surroundings.

The encounter with the Soldier showed him something he vehemently tried to ignore;  
Somehow along the way, he started to like Stark's companionship. It wasn't a deep sitting feeling, nor something one could call affection...  
It was more like some sort of solace. Solace he found whenever he interacted with the mortal.  
Stark was very similar to Loki, in a way that felt almost terrifying. Almost was the wrong word...  
It actually felt terrifying because Stark had done the unthinkable;  
He had ignored the walls Loki had built around himself over the years and managed to woke feelings in Loki the god had long forgotten about.  
Feelings Loki didn't want to acknowledge because it was simply easier to keep them buried deep within his heart as to try and figure them out.

The walls were a necessity - they were some sort of anchor for Loki.  
Keeping him steady even If his feelings seemed to crush over him like huge waves over the land in the middle of a storm. 

With them, Loki didn't bother about the people who doubted his motivations or feelings.  
It felt almost natural when they prohibited others to see the small truths which he sometimes allowed to slip their way through his many lies.  
Sometimes they even helped him to feel less sad and unloved when others deemed him unworthy of their attention just because he wasn't like the golden boy who was always standing brightly in front of him.  
He became used to it after a while, the walls successfully preventing him from any form of feelings which he might have felt once. No one cared about him so it was only natural for him to return the favor, wasn't it?

But Stark... Stark didn't seem to care about Loki's walls. It was like the mortal unknowingly decided to tear them down. The man was able to see the truths behind Loki's lies.  
He paid attention to Loki, acknowledged the god for who he was instead of convicting him beforehand. The man even decided to talk on a friendly basis to the god of mischief like said hadn't just tried to conquer Midgard...  
No one except his mother had ever talked to Loki like he was indeed more than just the shadow of his glorious brother.  
And if all of that wasn't already enough to make Loki actual think he really WAS more than a shadow, the mortal had just admitted that he (Hel knows why) cared about Loki's life and didn't want the god to die. 

That was actually the final blow that had pushed Loki over the edge.  
Causing something unavoidably shifting inside of Loki's mind. The need to keep his walls up no matter what became a distant one,  
replaced by the sudden want to let Stark in, to show the man even more of himself just to see how Stark would react.

What was probably the reason why his whole being screamed 'Protect!' when the Soldier had Stark in his grip. To act on such an unreasonable impulse was so unlike Loki that it scared him more than he ever thought it could.

Dangerous. This was utterly dangerous. 

Those feelings were futile. He shouldn't be concerned about Stark, he should think about a way to break the curse. What happened to his original plan?  
The plan in which he wanted to use Stark against the other Avengers? The plan in which he would leave this pathetic realm without the redemption Odin wanted for him?  
When did using Stark for his plans had become something entirely different whatever this 'different' was supposed to be?  
This had to stop otherwise he wouldn't be able to turn-

"Lokes?"

Loki inwardly winced, hearing the mortal's voice so suddenly.  
Why now? Why now of all times? Had the mortal read his mind and therefore decided to approach him? So he could gloat about Loki's internal dilemma?

"I'm afraid I don't know a person with such a ridiculous name."  
Loki huffed out, his eyes staying everywhere but on Stark's face.  
Risking a look into the warm orbs of the mortal certainly wouldn't help to die down his inner conflict which was still brooding on the surface of his mind. 

"Oh. That's a shame, then. I'm sure you would get along with him. He's actually a very intriguing person. Perhaps a bit gloomy and awfully pale, but intriguing nonetheless."

The witty answer of Stark let his mouth quirk up into a small smile but it died down before it could reach his eyes because Loki caught himself in the act and willed the motion down.  
'This definitely has to stop!' He firmly reminded himself and then tried to ignore the other voice in his mind which snickered a softly 'That's not what you really want and you know it'. 

"Stark," Loki tried to keep his voice empty of any emotions.  
"Is there something you'd like to ask? If not, I would appreciate it If you leave me very well alone. I have enough of those silly games of yours, mortal."  
Well, he failed miserably, Loki's voice sounding bitter and resigned even to his own ears. Loki was glad that he wasn't looking at the mortal, he was sure his face would betray him in an instant. 

Stark didn't answer right away and an awfully eerie silence started to linger between them. Letting Loki feel decidedly more on age than he had before. 

It felt like an eternity before Stark continued talking.

"I just wanted to tell you something, Lokes."

"What is it then, mortal? Speak your mind and then leave me alone."  
Loki huffed out annoyed.

"I wanted to Thank you, Loki."  
The man said firmly, his voice sounding so honest it took Loki utterly by surprise.

Even though he had tried to stop himself, Loki couldn't help but look up into the man's eyes then.  
Maybe he tried to find ulterior motives in them, maybe something entirely else, but all that he found in those eyes were emotions he didn't want to see nor understand.  
Stark's sudden words of thanks confused him and his confusion must have been written all over his face because Stark continued talking as soon as their gazes had met. 

"I mean, thank you for helping me out with Rogers. I appreciated it." Tony chuckled, more out of nervousness than anything else while awkwardly ruffling a hand through his messy hair. 

The way Loki stared at him in utter disbelieve made Tony slightly uncomfortable and it took a while before the god seemed to catch himself staring and looked away from Tony.

"I merely helped you because your machine agreed to offer me a favor in return. Don't think I acted out of generosity towards you, Stark."  
And wasn't it just pathetic how halfheartedly this answer sounded even to himself, Loki bitterly thought.

"Whatever reason you had, It won't change the fact that you helped me out and for that I am grateful.  
You were there and intervened on my behalf and the least I can do is to thank you for that. That's all. You can accept it or not, that's up to you Lokes..."  
Tony paused, the words hanging heavy in the air between them and making him squirm under the pressure so, he decided to keep on blabbering whatever came to his mind.  
"Though, I have to say; I'm not some damsel in distress. FRIDAY overreacted a bit when she asked you for help. I could have handled Rogers by myself - I am the great Iron Man after all."  
Tony chuckled wearily while growing even more uncomfortable by every passing minute. 

Loki's feelings, on the other hand, went from feeling uncomfortable to feeling utterly at loss.  
And every time he felt feeling himself at loss, he would start to push others away. It was easier that way.  
Like this, he wouldn't have to deal with his feelings, even If it meant to hurt someone else in the progress. 

"Oh? Is that so? I got the impression that you were in no way able to handle the situation, given how your hands trembled like leaves during a Storm.  
And your eyes Stark... They were radiating fear, so much fear. A pathetic sight, even for someone low as you. Don't assume I hadn't noticed, mortal."  
The words dripped like acid from Loki's lips, succeedingly burning the gratitude away from Stark's face.

But that wasn't enough yet. He had to get rid of that companionship he felt towards Stark, and therefore had to hurt the man even more.#  
Only then, so Loki believed, would the mortal keep his distance from him, giving Loki the time to build his walls anew. 

"Tell me Stark, why did a man who believes himself so brave couldn't do a single thing to protect himself from his own teammate's assault?  
You said you are the great Iron Man, didn't you? I couldn't see a single spark of greatness in you back then. I would say it was rather pathetic for-"

"He reminded me of my dad."  
Tony cut Loki off, an angry undertone in his voice. He didn't want to blurt it out, but the anger let him talk without thinking first. 

"I- I was scared shitless and unable to move. You're right about the fear and all that. Rogers face suddenly morphed into that of my fathers and I- I couldn't help but panic."  
Tony stuttered out, his hands clenching into fists. 

"So yeah, gloat all you want. But don't smartass me saying I am the one who's pathetic. If someone out of us two is pathetic then it's certainly you, Lokes.  
I know that this whole 'piss the mortal off' act you're playing right now is just so you don't have to deal with the fact that someone for once actually expressed their gratitude towards you."

Again. The mortal did it again! Looking right through him and tearing apart another wall of his like it was nothing.  
That foolish man even dared to speak in honesty to him, like he just hadn't slipped a grave information Loki could use for his own advantage. How utterly, utterly foolish!

"I don't need your gratitude, Stark! I am a god!" Loki stood abruptly, rage flaring through his chest. His face was now dangerously close to Stark's.  
Loki hoped the mortal would flinch away like he always did when Loki came too close to him, but this time the mortal made no attempt to move away...  
On the contary, the man even dared to take a step forward, resulting in bringing their faces even closer together. Stark's eyes fixated on Loki's face with a determined look.

"If you're thinking I'm backing down now, you're not as smart as I thought you to be, Lokes."  
Stark huffed out, his breath ghosting over Loki's face.  
"Even a god like you can yearn for gratitude and acknowledgment, don't pretend otherwise. You're only fooling yourself."

Stunned by the mortal's smugness Loki couldn't help but back down first.  
The close proximity and Stark's breath on his face did various things to him he would never for the life of his acknowledge.

"Believe whatever you want, Stark. I have enough of wasting my time with you." Loki sneered, pointedly stepping a few steps back from Tony while avoiding the mortal's eyes entirely. 

"Oh come on, Lokes. We both know that you're just trying to end this conversation because I am right." 

'Why couldn't the man shut his damn mouth?' Loki inwardly cursed.

"What about you, Stark? Aren't you just the same as me?" 

"Oh, trying to change topics? Since when is it about me, Lokes?"

'Since I arrived here! Since you decided to sneak your way into my thoughts!' lingered dangerously on Loki's lips.  
Making it only worse for him because it made him realize how much the mortal already occupied his mind. 

"Isn't it obvious, Stark? You're the same. You're also running away from the things which are hunting you.  
You're trying to hide it so well, playing the brave hero for everyone while in truth you are nothing more than a broken, fragile human being.  
But the difference between you and me is, that I accepted what I am while you're desperately trying to make people see that you could do better. For a man like you, that's a rather pathetic and a hopeless endeavor, Stark."  
The words didn't sound as poisonous as he wanted them to be, and Loki hated himself for that.

The mortal didn't answer so Loki continued. It would have been too dangerous to stop now. If he stooped, feelings of regret would get him into their grip and he probably wouldn't be able to find his words ever again.  
Better hurt the mortal now and bring whatever he started to feel for the man to an end as long he was able to.

"I wonder what your father did to you, to create such a sorry excuse of a man like you are one, Stark. Your father's abominations towards you surely must have been splendid ones."

The mortals face fell, then.  
An expression on his face which made Loki's heart constrict in his chest.  
The god was known for his way to hurt with words. Thor and his friends had never ceased to remind him about that.  
'Loki your words cut deeper than any of your daggers could ever do.' or 'Loki shan't be called the Skywalker anymore, a Liesmith he is - that's a befitting name for a liar like him.'  
He never thought much of the names they had called him, never thought about the truth in their words and certainly never felt guilty when he used his abilities as a Wordsmith to hurt others.  
But now, now he felt utterly miserable for the words that had slipped so thoughtlessly from his lips.

"... I'm tired of you Stark," Loki turned to pass Stark to leave.  
"Let's head back to your chamber so I can -" 

"Let's strike a deal, then."  
Stark suddenly said out of nowhere, gripping Loki's wrist to hold him in place. 

"I'm going to tell you about my pathetic daddy issues you seem all rather interested in and you're going to help me with a little favor of mine. A bargain between us two or whatever you Norse deities like to call it."

Before he could comprehend what was happening or even deny that he was interested in the Mortals past, Loki's lips moved on their own.  
"A bargain?"

"Yes. A bargain. My past in exchange for your help. Sounds like a good deal, don't you think so?"

Tony had seen an opportunity and was determined to use it.  
Loki's words had hit him hard and right now he wanted nothing more than to punch the supercilious bastard straight into the face but,  
Loki's harsh words had not only hurt, but they also revealed some odd interest the god seemed to have for Tony's past.  
Tony knew that the god purposefully wanted to hurt him, probably to push him away because he had managed to see right through the god's act.  
But wouldn't it have been so much easier for Loki to hurt Tony with the things the god were actually involved in?  
The things he could actually really gloat about? Like, Tony getting defenestrated by him, or the Avengers failing to act as a proper team which, in the end, resulted in the death of a good man - a good man named Coulson?  
Why did the god choose to bring up Howard? He actually didn't know a thing about the man, so why bring him up in the first place when not out of pure curiosity on Loki's part?

Loki seemed to contemplate the offer and Tony wasn't surprised about that. This could end up terribly wrong - Tony knew that.  
But this here, this was a chance to get Loki to help him and maybe, maybe even leading to the chance to learn more about the god. 

Tony had to wait unexpectedly long for an answer before Loki finally opened his mouth. 

"For what could you possibly need my acquaintance, given the state I am in right now, Stark?"  
And wasn't there a hint of interest hidden in this cautiously asked question, Tony thought. 

"It's nothing grave, trust me. I just need your knowledge as the talented Mage you are - Or rather your advice on a problem I currently happened to stumble upon." 

'Talented'  
Loki's heart suddenly skipped a beat. No one except his mother had ever praised him for being a mage nor acknowledged that he was indeed a talented one. 

"So... What do you say? Do we have a deal, Lokes?"  
Tony asked hesitantly. 

How much he just wanted to say yes let Loki's blood froze in his veins.  
This wasn't good. Hadn't he tried to get rid of Stark? How did his attempts to push the mortal away had ended up to bring him even closer to the man?  
No good. This was just not good. He had to do something, something that would end this utterly laughable situation at once.

"Fine. But under one condition," Loki said with confidence, looking at Stark's expecting face knowing very well, that the next words would end this silly conversation they had for good.  
"You offered your past to me... I'm certain that also includes the information on how you came around 'this'..."  
He intentionally stressed the last word while stepping into Stark's personal space just so he could caress his hand over the man's chest. 

"Show me your little secret that you keep hidden 'here'" Loki almost purred, while his hand lingered longer than necessary on the place there Tony's Arc Reactor was embedded into his chest.  
"I'm eager to learn about the power that stopped my Scepter and even the magic of that vulgar Völva. Tell me, and you can consider this little bargain of ours accepted."  
Loki knew the mortal wouldn't accept to this.  
Whatever the man was hiding under his clothes, he would never let Loki take a glimpse at it nor tell him what it actually was. 

He retreated his hand slowly while looking into Stark's eyes with a confident smile on his face.  
'This will be the end' Loki triumphantly thought.

"Fine."  
Tony answered before thinking. He actually hadn't meant to agree without thinking twice.  
He should just have flipped the god off and left instead. 

Loki's eyes, on the other hand, were reason enough to thank, whoever was listening (a.n probably Frigga and Gullveig), for his non-existent brain to mouth filter,  
given that the god's eyes went wide in shock. Ha! Tony knew exactly why that shithead Loki has acted as he did.  
Like hell, he would back off from the bargain just because Loki mentioned the Arc Reactor! 

"F- Fine?" Loki stuttered out, not really progressing that the mortal had, without a second thought, agreed to his terms.

"Yeah. Like in, I agree. Though I have to say, I will need to have some drinks first. Don't think I can do this while not totally being wasted."  
Tony chuckled while holding his hand out for Loki, gesturing the god to take it.

Loki stared at the offered hand like it was something alien, scrunching his nose up in displeasure before reluctantly reaching his own hand out to take it.  
What other choice had he left? The mortal just seemed to refuse to back down no matter what Loki tried.  
The small shiver he felt running over his back then Stark's warm skin connected with his own, immediately made Loki curse inwardly.  
With this, he was certain, he had signed his own demise. 

"... We have a deal then, Stark." Loki muttered, sounding uncertain and frustrated with himself. 

"Great! It's decided, then! Come on! Up to my chambers or however, you called my bedroom before, Lokes. We will have our talk after some drinks."  
Stark grinned, his hand still holding Loki's in his own. 

Without waiting for Loki's answer, Tony made his way to the elevator, intertwining his hand even more with the god's so he could drag him along with him.  
It was like they were holding hands... Okay. They actually WERE holding hands. But Tony assured himself that he was only holding hands with the god to prevent said from leaving,  
not because he actually liked the feeling of Loki's cold skin against his own.

"Up to the Penthouse, JARVIS."  
Tony said when they entered the elevator, casting a smile to the nearest camera. 

"As you wish, Sir."  
JARVIS answered, closing the elevator doors behind them. 

Loki hadn't looked up since they entered the elevator, his gaze too fixated on his hand which was still intertwined with Stark's.  
The man just hadn't let go. Why was the mortal still holding onto his hand? It was not like Loki could flee from the elevator, even if he wanted to.  
The reasonable part of himself told him to free himself from the man's grip, to slap the mortal's hand away...  
But another part of himself, a part he vehemently tried to ignore, told him to let the connection linger just a little bit longer. After all, Stark didn't seem to mind. So why should he?

So, they stayed like that. Standing next to each other in silence, hands still intertwined.  
Cold skin against warm. Both man, unbeknownst to the other secretly enjoying the close proximity they were in...  
It could have lasted for hours, and none of them would have complained...

But then, JARVIS had to break the comfortable silence between them, announcing that they had reached their destination and so, the lingering touch ended between them ended all too soon. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the elevator;
> 
> Tony; What the fuck is happening?
> 
> Loki: How did we end up like this?
> 
> Tony: It's not that I like holding his hand.
> 
> Loki: I just let him hold my hand because it would be too bothersome to protest.
> 
> Both: Huh? This is actually quite nice. 
> 
> Me: And now Kiss <3
> 
> JARVIS: No one is kissing anyone under my watch! Get the hell out of the elevator! 
> 
> FRIDAY silently watching; I ship it so hard. 
> 
> AGAIN I'M REALLY SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER TOOK ME SO LONG.  
> I had so much stuff to do and couldn't bring myself to write. Whenever I actually got a few spare hours in which I could have written something down,  
> I found myself staring holes at my computer.  
> And when I actually managed to write something down it was just disastrous and totally unacceptable. :/
> 
> Now that I got things done, I'm able to concentrate more on my writing, so the next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one. 
> 
> Again, all mistakes are my own. You can point them out to me and I'll fix them ASAP.
> 
> As a little spoiler: Next chapter will be super fluffy, so stay tuned! :3


	21. Chapter 21

"So..."  
Tony began, carefully entangling his hand from Loki's as soon as they left the elevator.  
"As I said, I can't do this sober, Lokes... How about you're taking a bath while I'm trying to get as drunk as possible in the meantime?"

"I already took a bath before we went down to that filthy place you call your workplace, Stark."  
Loki said in an irritated voice, scrunching up his nose in displeasure. His thoughts circling around the fact that he already started to miss the mortal's skin on his own. 

"Oh... Okay. Then, why not drink together? I still owe you a drink If I remember correctly." Tony chuckled weakly. 

"I do recall you offering me a drink, Stark."

With that, they headed to the Penthouse's living room. Tony making a beeline straight behind the bar while Loki took a seat in front of it. 

"So, what would you like to drink, Lokes?"   
Tony asked nonchalantly while wiggling his brows. 

"Whatever your pathetic little human mind might consider worthy of a god." Loki smiled amused. 

"Laphroaig 28 Year Single Malt Whisky it is then." Tony hummed. Fishing for a bottle hidden behind a few other ones and two glasses.  
He then turned around the bar and seated himself, to Loki's surprise, right next to the god - leaving almost no distance between them.

Loki eyed the man from the corner of his eyes, noticing that Stark's hands were slightly trembling when he was serving Loki his drink. 

"Feeling uncomfortable, Stark?"  
The god couldn't help but ask, knowing very well that the man was obviously feeling uncomfortable because of him. 

"Well, it's just that I don't have the best memories of you and me being together in this room, Lokes..." Tony said eventually. His voice slightly wavering.   
"It's only natural to feel tense... Given our shared past."

"Oh? Is that so? Well, let me assure you that there is nothing you have to fear. It wouldn't be very wise of me to throw you out of the window again, given our circumstances."  
Loki gestured between them and then to the rings on their fingers.

 

Tony followed the motion, looking first at Loki's and then at his own ring.  
He couldn't help but frown slightly when something odd caught his attention...  
"Say, weren't our rings pitch black before? I'm certain they were black as tar. How come they look dark brownish now?"  
He pointed at Loki's ring, confusion written all over his face.

Loki took a moment to look down at his ring. He studied it for a while before he came to the same conclusion as Stark;  
Their rings had indeed changed their color and appeared a bit brighter than before. This was indeed odd.   
What use was it for the rings to change colors. 

"It could be..." Loki started but didn't continue. Suddenly remembering Gullveig's words, the ones which said that the restrictions of the curse could be lifted under a certain condition...  
Could it be... Could it be that they Stark and Loki, unbeknownst to even themselves, fulfilled said condition which led to the rings changing their colors? Like a sign that they were on the right path to lifting the curse?  
What would at least explain why the rings had been golden at first and why they had turned into black as soon as the curse was cast onto them.  
There had been no reason for Gullveig to turn them black in the first place and curses weren't actually known for changing the color of random objects as they pleased - that was obviously not in their nature. 

 

If that was really the case, all Loki had to do was to watch his ring closely whenever he interacted with Stark. It would only be a matter of time to point out to what exactly the ring was reacting.   
Like this, Loki was sure, he could find a way to lift the curse a lot faster.  
He just had to find out what said condition was and then indicate it on purpose. Preferably without Stark knowing about the whole ordeal.   
Loki was sure the man wouldn't play along with Loki's plan to bypass the curse that easily, given that the curse was partly meant to redeem the Trickster.   
The god was certain it would be best to leave Stark in the dark - at least for now.

"It could be what, Lokes?" Tony asked annoyed, still waiting for Loki to continue.   
"Why does everyone except myself seems to like these dramatic pauses while explaining important stuff? Why not blabbering out all the information at once?  
Would make things a lot easier, If you ask me.  
I mean - imagine someone's trying to write a story about us two and has to fill all this dramatic silence of yours with story relevant plot.   
It's just like they only have to do it, so it would seem like you actually have a reason to do this whole; 'I keep silent while the other party is hopelessly waiting for an answer' stuff which is, by the way, actually very annoying."   
Tony exaggerated. 

"I could be, that your imagination is running a bit wild, Stark. Our rings look exactly the same to me as before.  
Isn't this just a pathetic attempt of yours to distract me from our bargain? If I remember correctly you were the one who came up with it in the first place." Loki lied easily.

"But..." Tony started, looking at Loki's ring in disbelieve. The change was so obvious, how could Loki not see it?

"No buts, Stark. This is why we are here. And now hush." Loki cut Tony off, pointing a finger to the drink in front of the man.

"I got the feeling that it's not me who's trying to distract here, Lokes."   
Tony said slightly annoyed.

"Do not try to turn the tables around, mortal. You will learn that arguing with me is a rather pointless endeavor." Loki said simply, his smile all teeth.

Tony looked the God dead in the eye. Loki thought he was a great liar but there was actually no way Tony hadn't noticed that Loki had been lying.  
It was actually more than obvious that the god knew something Tony didn't or rather, shouldn't know about...   
Problem was; Loki was a dick.   
Even If Tony would point out that Loki was lying, the god would find a clever way around the truth and conceal whatever he was trying to hide from Tony.   
So, the only logical decision for Tony was to play along - at least for now.  
Until he would find a way to trap Loki into telling him the truth.

"Fine. I'll drink. But don't believe that this conversation is entirely over Lokes."

"If you say so, Stark."  
Loki answered easily, not really bothering to take Tony's word serious.

 

~~~~~~

 

Midgardian alcohol was surprisingly good, Loki had to acknowledge.  
The fine, but still well- recognizable smell of smoke, combined with different fruit flavors and a hint of honey were a pleasant surprise to Loki's nose.   
The taste, on the over hand, was something entirely different.   
Dry oak, mixed with the flavor of sea salt and sour fruits, followed by a faint streak of honey which lingered on Loki's tongue for a while.  
The god made sure to take only small sips from his glass, just so he could relish the exquisite taste a little bit longer.

While enjoying his drink, Loki observed Stark out of the corners of his eyes.  
The mortal had already finished his fourth glass and was about to serve himself a fifth then Loki decided it was time to stop the man from getting too drunk for a proper conversation. 

"Stark, I believe this amount of alcohol should be enough to get you talking.   
I don't want to spend the whole night watching you puke your insides out."

"Come on, 'tis is nothing, Lokes. I can 'andle a lot more than 'tis."  
Tony slurred, trying to bring his fifth glass to his lips."

Loki frowned at that, slightly annoyed by the already very intoxicated mortal. He reached out to grab the mortals hand which was holding the glass. Pulling it swiftly down and away from the man's lips. 

"I said you had enough, Stark."

Tony looked up briefly, a complain already about to slip from his mouth until he took a closer look at the god's stern face.   
Complaining wasn't an option here, that was certain so Tony decided to keep whatever complaints had wanted to slip out of his mouth to himself, rather than angering the god unnecessarily. 

"... Fine. So what is it y- ya wanna hear, huh?"  
He asked in a sullen tone.

"I thought this was already quite clear, Stark."  
Loki sneered.  
"I want to know everything. About your childhood and your father, about the day you became the Man of Iron and about that 'thing' in your chest which my Mother and Gullveig talked about...   
The thing that stopped me from making you my own."

Loki winced when the last sentence had slipped his mouth. That was decidedly not what he wanted to say.  
Why hadn't he used words like 'slave' or 'pawn'? 'His own' sounded so very wrong, even to his own ears.   
Even if he wanted the mortal to become his own (and no, that decidedly wasn't the case at all), Stark would never become his in the first place.   
They were enemies, nothing more, nothing less. Why was he even thinking about something absurd like this? This was utterly ridiculous!  
Yet, Loki couldn't quite help but notice how pleasant this ridiculous thought felt in his chest.  
He winced again, realizing that he got distracted again by his own thoughts. His face morphing into one of pure humiliation. He glanced over to the mortal who, thank the Norns,   
had been too occupied with his own thoughts to notice the obvious distress which was written all over Loki's face. 

 

Tony in the meantime had mulled Loki's words over and over again in his head, already feeling a slight headache forming at the back of his mind which would soon start to grow into something really nasty.  
He had never really told someone about 'everything' that had happened to him.  
Not about his childhood which Howard managed to fuck up like it was nothing, not about his days in the cave with Yinsen, nor about the things that had happened to him after becoming Iron Man...   
There was no one out there who knew the full story (except his AIs and bots), not even Peper and Rhodey.  
Sure, he did tell his friends a few things, had to give the Government and the Press answers... But it had always been a version which left certain things in the dark, things he hadn't found the courage to talk about.   
Those things were his weakness - the only things which could truly hurt and destroy him. They could be easily used against him, easily breaking him apart...  
Exposing himself like that to Loki wasn't just stupid, it was essentially like signing his own death sentence.

But he had no other choice, hadn't he? He needed the god's help...  
There weren't many people left he could ask for aid anyways.   
He had pushed everyone else away. Who was he to be picky now? 

Tony took a deep breath. Willing his nervousness down before he turned his face to look directly into Loki's eyes.

"Fine... I... I guess I should start from the very beginning then..."

 

~~~~

 

Loki watched the mortal's face closely while he was retelling his past.   
He could make out the disgust and hurt in Stark's eyes when he had talked about his father, which the mortal would never refer as such - it was always just Howard. 

The stories Stark had told about his childhood didn't sit well with Loki and he would have been lying If he said they didn't make him feel nauseous.   
Stark's father had not only tortured his son mentally but physically as well.  
That explained Stark's rather odd behavior back then when the Soldier had manhandled him... 

Hearing Stark's enumeration about the countless injuries he had suffered due to his father's abuses let Loki visibly shudder.  
The god wondered briefly how the man had survived such an awful childhood, or rather, what had kept the man to hang onto his pathetic life. Death would have been an easy way to escape his father's wrath.  
After all, death seemed a lot more pleasant than being hurt and abused over and over again.

Loki's nagging thought as to why the man hadn't chosen to kill himself was soon answered when Stark started to talk about his mother.   
There was a sudden fondness in the man's eyes when he mentioned Maria Stark, a fondness which made Loki instantly feel something similar to jealousness.   
The distant, yet pleased look Stark wore, was one of pure and unwavering love, something Loki hadn't seen on the man's face before.  
At that moment, Loki could hear his traitorous mind whispering a soft 'Why can't it be me?' in the back of his mind.  
It was clear that Stark's mother had meant the world to him, that she was the reason why the man had managed to endure the assaults of his father for so long.  
It was also very clear that a huge part of Stark's heart had withered away when his mother had died.

Loki distantly thought about Frigga then.   
What if Frigga had died when he was nothing more but a little boy? What would have happened to him If she hadn't been there to support and guide him?  
What if he had been all alone in this huge gilded cage Odin called their home? Something in him was awfully aware that he wouldn't have been able to endure the time in the castle, or rather with Odin, without his mother. 

The god noticed that Stark paused his narration for a moment to wipe away a few tears which had slowly rolled down over his cheeks while he had finished talking about his mother's death.   
Loki decided to give the mortal the time he needed to calm down and pointedly looked away, letting the mortal mourn for his late mother. 

 

It took a while before Stark continued with his story, a faint tremble in his voice accompanied by a few quiet sobs. 

 

Loki already knew a thing or two about Stark's kidnapping, due to the information Barton had provided him with.   
But hearing the man himself talk about that time in the cave, about the man who saved him, about the torture he had survived,   
and how he had managed to turn a horrible situation into something good and worthwhile was an entirely different thing.   
It somehow made Loki want to reach out to the man. He couldn't really say why but it nagged at him like some urge, something he wasn't able to control.   
His thoughts were circling entirely around Stark. He wanted to comfort, to protect, to steady the mortal in the here and now, so he wouldn't get lost in his thoughts about his horrible past.  
It took everything from Loki to just sit next to the man. To keep his hands around his glass just so he could stop himself from reaching out and therefore doing something he was sure he would later regret.

 

"... And t- that's how I came 'round 'this' and ended up with the s- stupid pirate."  
Stark finally finished, pointing his hand awkwardly to his own chest.

Loki needed a moment before answering. His mind a huge confusing mess he desperately tried to sort. He hadn't planned to get invested into the mortal's past, but he did.  
He blinked a few times before he finally managed to open his mouth.

"I see..."  
He said weakly. Cursing his famous silver-tongue for letting him down at a moment like this. 

There were so many things he wanted to say, could have said...  
Yet he didn't find the right words.   
He couldn't find them because he feared them.  
Because whatever he would say, he wouldn't just say it to Stark but to himself as well.  
Because... Because Stark was his mirror image. Loki dully realized.

The similarities Loki had already seen between them before were suddenly oppressing him. Both of them were dangerously close dancing around the edge to madness.   
All it took was a slight push into the right direction and there would be nothing but a bottomless abyss awaiting them.

But... That wasn't quite right. There was no 'them' because Loki had already been pushed over this edge... Had lost himself in that bottomless madness...  
Stark... Stark, on the other hand, had managed to regain his balance every time he appeared to fall.   
It was like a miracle. After everything the man had endured, how was it possible that he hadn't fallen as well?  
Why was it that they were so alike and yet so very different at the same time?  
If he hadn't fallen, would things have ended up differently for him? Or would it just have been delaying the inevitable? 

Loki looked down at his glass, momentarily wondering why he even cared. He couldn't change a thing anyway. Bothering with what could have been was simply a waste of time.   
While mulling over his thoughts, he didn't even notice that Stark had used the god's silence to pour himself another drink,  
filling the glass to the rim and downing it in a few gulps before repeating the procedure again.

It took a while before Loki realized what Stark was doing, anger flaring in his chest when he caught the man in the act. 

"Stark! I told you it's enough! Are you trying to drink yourself into oblivion?!"  
He yanked the bottle roughly out of the mortal's hand, spilling a lot of the bottle's content to the ground while cursing something under his breath.

"W- What's it to- to you?"  
Tony slurred out. Not really knowing what the god's problem was.

"Your part of the bargain isn't over yet, Stark. You can drink as much as you want after we finished our conversation."  
Loki lied easily. He had tried to sound as plausible as possible, while desperately attempting to keep the irritation in his voice down.  
Of course, the bargain wasn't the reason why he needed the man to stop.   
It was more the flash of concern he suddenly felt for the man that made him act like that. 

 

Tony looked at Loki for a while. His eyes wandering over the angry features of the god's face. Somehow he looked not only angry but worried as well,   
something that was very unlikely for the god. The frown and the worry on the god's face did not really add up to the things he said after all.  
Tony wondered briefly what was going on with the Trickster before realization managed to dawn on him. Maybe it was because-

"Ya w-want me to be able to show y-ya, didn't ya? Ya fearing that y- ya can't take a look."  
There was no other plausible reason why Loki would be concerned about Tony getting dead drunk.

Tony watched how Loki's mouth opened slightly and he already expected a snide comment but it never came. Rather, he watched Loki biting his own lips, successfully stopping whatever was about to come out of his mouth.  
Another thing that was totally unlikely for Loki, but Tony was too drunk to keep wondering about the Trickster's strange behavior.   
Right now he just wanted to get this whole thing over with and then head to his couch for a good long sleep which would certainly last for the next three years or so. 

He waited a few seconds for the Trickster to answer him, but then nothing came out of the god's mouth, Tony took the silence as a cue to continue. He took a deep breath before awkwardly tugging at his shirt.  
It took him a while before he finally managed to get rid of his shirt, showing Loki his fully exposed, ugly chest.   
The look on Loki's face had morphed into something unreadable, the bright light of the reactor illuminating his features. That he wasn't able to read the look on the god's face made Tony feel even worse.   
A disgusted or shocked face he could handle. At least that way he would know what the other party was thinking and could help him to react commensurate...   
But Loki's face was empty of any emotion, making it impossible to know that the god was thinking, or for Tony to decide how to react. 

"N- Not pretty, huh? Ugly as fuck to be p- pre- damn! P- precisely... For fuck's sake!" 

Loki didn't answer. He was just starring down at the Arc Reactor, his eyes tracing over the inflamed skin and the ugly scar tissue around the reactor's casing before he eventually found his words, very much to Tony's delight. 

"Can I... Can I touch it?"  
Loki asked in a voice so gentle and carefully it made Tony think the god in front of him was an entirely different person. 

He looked at the god in pure horror. He had thought of a hundred things Loki might say to him but... Well, he never thought it would lead to Loki asking him something like this!

The god must have seen the pure horror in Tony's eyes because he suddenly added a softly whispered,  
"It isn't part of our bargain, Stark. So you can refuse my request If you don't want me to touch you."

After all, Loki knew all too well how Stark had reacted before whenever Loki had indicated skin contact. It was only when the man had indicated the contact himself that he hadn't flinched away in fear. 

"I..." Tony started, entirely dumbfounded by the situation. He wanted to refuse, really. But somehow... Somehow he couldn't.  
Not after Loki gave him the choice to decline. It was something people rarely had ever offered him before.

"N- No... It's 'kay. Ya can touch it If ya want. J- just make it quick."  
He managed to get out before his voice could betray him. 

Loki just nodded once, before he slowly brought his hand to Stark's chest.  
Even though his hand hadn't touched the man's skin yet, Stark visible flinched away.   
Loki stilled then. Waiting for the man to find his composure again.   
Stark needed a moment before he took a deep breath in and then closed his eyes. Almost as if he was readying himself for some sort of impact.   
It was a pathetic sight and Loki felt guilt rising up in his chest for causing Stark to feel this uncomfortable. 

He leaned down a bit, bringing his face near to the mortals.  
"Easy, Stark. I promise I'm not going to hurt you... You'll be fine, trust me."  
Loki said in a soothing whisper, carefully as to not spook the man any further. His breath ghosting softly over Tony's cheeks. 

"Everything will be alright..."  
He continued, his hand slowly closing the distance until it finally landed on the man's mechanical heart.  
Loki let his hand linger for a while, giving Stark the chance to accustom to his touch before he slowly started to move his hand.   
The Arc Reactor hummed under his hand and Loki could feel the pulsating artificial magic which was softly radiating from it. 

The god moved his hand over to the angry red skin around the reactor's case, then. Letting his fingers glide gently over the many scars.   
Stark's breath hitched then, his body going stiff instantly. 

It was probably a warning sign seeing how uneven and raspy Stark's breathing came out and Loki knew it was definitely time to stop,  
but he couldn't help but continue touching the warm skin under his fingers. Instead of pulling his hand away, he started to run slow circles over the mortal's skin, letting his fingers linger longer than probably necessary. 

 

What Loki didn't know was that Tony hadn't gone stiff because he was afraid but rather, because of the cool sensation which was radiating from the god's hand.   
Loki's touch was soft and careful and so, so very cold on his skin that it made Tony gasping for air. It felt nothing like he had expected it to feel. Loki's touch was so very soothing and gentle, the movement of his hand anything but rough or hasty. 

It took everything from Tony to not lean into the touch.  
Not even Pepper had ever touched him like that. It was like Loki considered him as something fragile and precious. Something that would break apart if not handled with utter care and gentleness.  
But that couldn't be.  
It made no sense.   
This was Loki... Loki wasn't supposed to make him feel like this. Making him feel like someone actually cared...  
This wasn't right...

"I- I 'hink that should be 'nough."  
Tony said, hastily standing up from his stool to bring some well-needed distance between the god and himself. 

Unfortunately, given that he was utterly drunk, the sudden movement had made his head sting like a bitch, letting the room around him suddenly spin.  
Tony knew what was following. It wasn't the first time he had drunk himself into oblivion and had ended up face first on the concrete ground of his penthouse.   
He braced himself for impact, waiting for the inevitable to happen but instead of colliding with the hard ground, Tony was suddenly yanked forward, colliding with something entirely different - Loki's chest.

The god had not only yanked Tony back and therefore kept him from falling but had also somehow managed to move his other arm around Tony's waist, which resulted in Tony being firmly pressed against the god's body. 

"Careful, Stark..." Loki murmured, the hand he used to yank Tony back suddenly curling around his body, only to run softly up and down Tony's back.   
"After all... It would be a shame to see your pretty head cracked open by the ground." He added as an afterthought.

Tony hadn't the time to concentrate on the fact that Loki had just complimented him, or rather his beautiful head.  
His concentration was fully on the god's hands which were soothingly running over his back.  
Tony couldn't help but enjoy the comforting gesture, and so he instinctively leaned closer into the god's chest, nuzzling his face into the crock of the god's neck. 

"This 's nice..."   
Tony huffed out, a yawn escaping his lips. The comfortable embrace making him feel so very sleepy... His body starting to sag into Loki's arms.   
The alcohol seemingly playing a huge role in making him tired. 

"Stark?"  
Loki spoke in a small whisper, one of his hands leaving Tony's back so he could gently cup the man's cheek, pulling Tony's face up so he could look him in the eyes.

"'s nothin'... Just tired."  
Tony managed to bring out, already close to drifting off to sleep.

"I see..."  
Loki hummed and then shifted his arms around Tony so he could lift the man up, holding him in his arms like a groom who was about to carry his bride over the threshold. 

"Stay awake a bit longer and try to hold onto me. I guess it isn't wise to let you sleep on the couch tonight so I'll bring you to your bed."

Tony did as he was ordered and slung his arms around Loki's neck, nuzzling his cheek against Loki's own while doing so.   
Loki then began to move them both to the bedroom, gripping the man tightly so he wouldn't let him slip. 

Then they reached the bedroom, Loki gently tried to put the mortal down onto his bed.  
He almost succeeded in doing so hadn't Stark decided to tighten his grip around Loki's neck just to result in pulling the god down together with him. 

Loki couldn't react fast enough, finding himself laying flush on top of Stark's body. He tried to get up instantly but was firmly held in place by Stark who didn't seem to mind that he was buried beneath the god.

"Stark, you have to let go of me... I can't get up like this."  
Loki huffed, slightly amused by the mortal's behavior.

"Don't wanna... Too comfy... Just for tonight..."  
Tony mumbled, already half asleep. He tightened his grip even more around Loki's neck, not thinking for a second to let his newfound and very comfortable blanket go. 

"... Please... Imma get cold otherwise..."  
Tony added almost fretful and Loki couldn't help but laugh at that.

Loki decided it wouldn't hurt to stay for a while. The mortal would let go as soon as he was fast asleep anyway.   
He listened to the mortal's heartbeat for a while, enjoying the steady rhythm which, after a while, made Loki feeling sleepy as well. He shifted a little,   
moving his body down from Stark's so he could lay right next to the man. Even though the man was already deep asleep he hadn't let go of Loki.  
Instead Stark had managed to hold Loki in a tight embrace as If the god had become his pillow instead of a blanket.

Loki watched Stark's face for a long while, wondering why his heart seemed to beat faster than ever before.  
It didn't take long before Loki slowly closed his eyes as well. The warmth radiating from the mortal making him feel unbelievable sleepy. 

"Sleep well, Anthony..."   
He whispered into the darkness, before he too, drifted off into a dreamless, yet comfortable sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter literally killed me...   
> The last two weeks were the hottest of the year so far with around 100,4°F 
> 
> I'm not really fond of the heat in general, so I had a really bad time coping with the weather.   
> I would say I'm one of those people who would prefer a vacation in a country full of snow over a vacation at the beach.   
> Fortunately, I'm nocturnal and can write when the sun isn't trying to melt me into a puddle of goo.


End file.
